HYATT
by alinova
Summary: Hope Analise Mikaelson and Wyatt De Sauveterre - a love story. These are a collection of roleplays that my best friend and I went through along with the help of our friends, detailing and telling the story of Hope and Wyatt (Hyatt). Hope is Gillian Zinser. Wyatt is Paul Wesley. I do not own the rights to TVD or TO, nor do I own any characters other than my own.
1. One: First Meeting

Hope had moved into Mystic Falls, with her Aunt Rebekah, a week ago. She spent most of her time hanging around the Mystic Grill, over the few days she'd been there, her extraordinary hearing had over heard some real shit - and therefore, she got caught up with a small group of people. The Salvatore Brothers, The Gilberts, Bonnie Bennet, Caroline Forbes, all that bunch. She wasn't even sure how it had happened, she was glad she just hadn't been thrown into any of the drama that followed that particular group around. That very significant day in her life, she was just setting up for another game of pool with Stefan and Damon, who had actually just left to go pick up Elena. Shortly afterwards, Stefan left her too, to go to the toilet or something, she wasn't exactly sure where Stefan was, he'd kind of rushed it. So there Hope was, all alone, leaning against the pool table. Wyatt entered the Mystic Grill with his hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket, and he looked around the area absently. He yawned a little, having been slightly exhausted from the day he'd had. He was in Mystic Falls to introduce Boone to Stefan and Damon, but for now he had some free time. He'd left Boone to his own devices, probably off running in the woods or something. Either way, Wyatt made his way over to the bar and flagged down the bartender, ordering himself a Bourbon.

Hope yawned and stretched in a restricted fashion, deciding not to go for the full body motion whilst surrounded by strangers. She resigned herself to inspecting her pool cue and waiting tirelessly for Stefan. She allowed her eyes to trail randomly over the occupants of the grill, completely uninterested until she recognised the occasional person from school. That is until her gaze eventually made it to the bar, where she spotted Stefan, she groaned inwardly and took her pool cue with her on her short journey to meet him. Hope came to a sudden stop when she realised Stefan was wearing a completely different outfit and that he was drinking something. The Stefan she knew wouldn't just abandon her to go drink at the bar. Damon maybe would, but Stefan? Nah. Hope decided to scoot around a little, weaving subtly through people until she found a seat at the end of the bar, angled so that she could see everyone's face, and her eyes scoured this strange version of Stefan's face, making sure to already be looking away the moment he looked in her direction. Wyatt glanced at a young girl at the end of the bar with a note of curiosity in his expression, brow drawn down and furrowed. He squinted at her as he took a sip of his drink, wondering why she looked so familiar. Had he met her before? She smelled like wolf, but not strongly, and also magic; he'd definitely never met her before. Was she another hybrid? Wyatt scoffed a little. How many more of those were going to spring up? He came from a time where Klaus was the only hybrid, and Klaus' other half had still been repressed at that point. It seemed all of the bloodlines were becoming impure... that Mathieu kid, who Wyatt had learned was turned by Klaus. That's why Wyatt was here, actually. Bringing Boone to meet Stefan and Damon hadn't been his only excuse to return to this land, oh no. Klaus' name had been popping up a lot recently. Wyatt intended to find his old best friend.

Hope screwed her mouth up a little and cocked her head to one side, examining the Stefan clone in further detail once she was sure he'd lost the will to stare at her any longer. He had a distant look on his face now, she knew how that was. Hope raised a single eyebrow at the fact that she couldn't find a single difference, except for the fact that this Stefan looked a whole of a lot more badass. She decided to gently probe at his mind with her magic, or even just his aura, but he was on high alert, so she decided quickly against it, slipping off the barstool and attempting to reach the pool table again without drawing the guy's attention. Wyatt sensed a small tug at his head that soon slipped away again, and he snapped himself back into the room. Someone had just tried to get into his mind, and he knew exactly who it was likely to have been. He turned around and caught sight of the familiar looking girl trying to make her way to the pool table. An eyebrow arching, he decided upon approaching her. He picked up his glass and took a large sip from it, swallowing it down as he walked over to her. She had settled herself at the head of the pool table, leaning her hip against its side, twirling a pool cue on its bottom between her slender fingers, and Wyatt tilted his head to admire her for a moment, pausing a few feet away from the table. She was a beauty, that was clear. He let out a sharp exhale through his nose, shaking his head, and moved the rest of the way toward her.

Hope was hyper aware of the Stefan clone's movements, but she managed to keep herself level, calm, and her heartbeat flawlessly steady, just like Aunt Rebekah had taught her. When she sensed he had come to a stop right infront of her, she looked up at him with a polite inquisitive look on her face, taking her time to do so. She raised her eyebrows, as if waiting for him to speak, assuming he did have something to say, as he had come all the way over here. Practically, Hope knew she had nothing to worry about, her Aunt Rebekah had informed her that she was some kind of unique cross breed of a witch, a vampire and a werewolf, and was the first of her kind. The power she could feel inside her should have done more to settle her nerves, but Hope never thought practically in these situations, all logic left her and she was just as panicked as any human would have been in her situation. She was needlessly praying for Stefan to show up, and soon. Wyatt could sense the distress rolling off of her in waves, and he decided a little thought-sorting would do him some good, giving him the upper hand. In a few seconds, he'd learned that she was a tribrid (Jesus Christ, people needed to stop cross-breeding like mutts) and that she was irrational. Alright, he could handle that.

"Hello," he said to her, sticking his hand out for her to shake. "My name is Wyatt De Sauveterre." He spoke with a voice that was soft but clear, tone low, and cocked his head to the side a little, a single eyebrow raised in expectation as he looked at her and waited for her to take his hand and shake it.

Hope glanced down at his hand, attempting to swallow lightly, but had underestimated the lump in her throat, she brought her eyes back up to meet his, maintaining direct eye contact with him as she shook his hand, a power play her aunt had taught her. Hope had never been warned against giving anyone her name, as her Aunt Rebekah said they were never around anywhere for long enough for it to matter, "Hope Mikaelson. A pleasure." She greeted, matching his level of formality without missing a beat, proud of herself for managing to act so well in her circumstances. Hope tilted her head a little, suddenly noticing something, this version of Stefan was somehow and inexplicably more handsome. Which didn't make sense, as he looked exactly the same as her friend, but there was still that unidentifiable difference. She realised she had gotten caught up in her thoughts and immediately shook herself out of her daze. Wyatt nodded along slowly; Mikaelson. Of course. So, she was somebody's daughter... she had to have been. She wasn't a day over twenty, most likely, and he'd never met her before. She certainly wasn't on the scene thirty-forty years ago. Wyatt let a small smirk tug at the corners of his lips, the likes of which was a little lopsided. He found that most of the people he encountered appreciated a smirk on his face more than a genuine smile.

"A pleasure to meet you," he said, bending a little to lift her hand to his lips as he maintained her eye contact, placing a light kiss to the backs of her knuckles. "Mikaelson, you say? You weren't on the scene a few decades ago, definitely not an original."

Hope inhaled sharply, forgetting to keep control of her heartbeat, as it spiked the moment his lips touched her hand, her eyes widened and then she hurriedly got herself together. Controlling her heartbeat once more, and having slipped the polite facade on once more, she shook her head a little, "I've only ever been acquainted with one of them. I've been alive for twenty years, no more, no less, so far." She quirked an eyebrow at him, a small smile on her own lips as she glanced at his, promptly looking away, the smirk bothering her. She frowned a little, feigning interest in the other occupants of the grill rather than him. Wyatt nodded his head in interest, letting her hand go as he stood straight once more and took a sip from her glass. The uptick in her heartbeat had him intrigued, but he dismissed it and was otherwise more interested in the way she was determinedly avoiding his gaze. He tilted his head to one side a little, brow furrowed.

"I see," he said, glancing her up and down. "Which one?" He asked, expression one of apathy. His cool demeanour would avoid any suspicions of his motives and make sure he didn't end up on the wrong side of an invasive question. He licked his lips a little and propped himself against the pool table. Hope sighed, making a small agitated gesture with her hands, throwing them up a little, and then crossing them over her chest, giving Wyatt the attention he wanted and turned to face him, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable with disclosing information about my family to a stranger." She stated as calmly as she could, struggling to maintain her perfect facade with the panicked way she was feeling. This was exactly what Aunt Rebekah had always feared beneath all her confidence. Hope narrowed her eyes a little at him, taking a step closer to him, "Why are you so interested anyway? Do you know my family?"

Wyatt arched an eyebrow and shrugged as she told him she was uncomfortable about disclosing familial information, muttering "fair enough" under his breath before swallowing down the remainder of his drink. He licked his lips and glanced at her, tipping his head nonchalantly in a vague gesture.

"I've spent a lot of time with all the Mikaelson's over the years," he told her, revealing no more than that. If she wanted to be cryptic, well, he was more than capable of stepping up to her game. "And," he began, "if you'd allow me the honour of getting to know you better and removing that... unfortunate label of "strangers", then I'd be quite pleased."

Hope had begun to speak again, but stuttered, faltered and abruptly stopped, beginning to worry her lower lip between her teeth, a small crease in her brow. This guy was experienced and this guy was smooth, she dropped her gaze to his shoes, and let it travel up until she met his intense stare again, he had this way of making her feel small and insignificant, while also causing her to feel like the only thing that mattered and like she was the centre of the world, the most fascinating person he'd ever met, at the same time. It was unnerving. Hope quickly decided to abandon Stefan at the grill, when she was definite that no-one was looking, she blurred away from him, grabbed her coat and bag, and resuming her walking pace, strolled as casually as she could manage, out of the diner. She prayed to the heavens that he would not persist, and follow her. She wasn't sure she could resist him if he continued to smother her with all that charm and expert manipulation. Wyatt frowned. In one instant, Hope had been right in front of him. Wyatt had blinked, and in the next instant she was gone. Right then. Well. Wyatt shook his head and glanced around, before setting his glass on the side and setting it down. He zipped out and stopped in front of her, eyebrows arched. He was faster and physically far more capable than her, having been around for 161 years longer than she had.

"Well," he drawled, glancing her up and down before bringing his hand up to inspect his nails in a display of apathetic offence. "That was rather rude," he said, rubbing the pad of his thumb over his fingertips before glancing up and looking into her eyes, an unimpressed expression on his face as he cocked an eyebrow up and tilted his head at her. "What exactly do you think I'm going to do to you, take you home and chain you up as a sex slave? Please, I'm a gentleman and I can smell the magic leaking from every pore. You need to learn to better conceal that, by the way."

Hope stiffened, almost shrieking as he appeared abruptly infront of her. She raised her head defiantly to stare him down, a fire burning in her eyes, and her cheeks uncharacteristically flushed. As he started speaking, she knew there was no way she could beat him, the realisation of that suddenly hit her, and she slowly relaxed her stance, interlocking her fingers behind her back, and simply gazing at him as he talked, she nodded dispassionately, sighing lightly, "Okay, alright. Point made." She conceded when he had finished his little verbal assault, "What do you want from me?" She asked, her tone notably softer, she directed her eyes at the floor, restraining herself from being cocky and arrogant. This was about self survival, and protecting Rebekah. This was the wisest tactic. Wyatt arched his eyebrow, tucking his fingers halfway into the pockets of his jeans as he listened to her. At her question, he huffed and glanced up at the sky, squinting at the moon, before he looked back down at her once more, twirling his daylight ring around on his finger in his pocket.

"I want to get to know you," he said simply. "Why do you assume I have an ulterior motive? Has your life really been so tragic thus far?" He knew exactly how wrong someone's life could go before they were twenty, but he knew very little about this young girl so far. On the one hand, she didn't seem very much a victim of any sort of trauma; on the other hand, everybody has a story and she was a child of the Mikaelson's - that family was screwed up like nobody's business. He was rather disdainful of their dynamic, if he was honest. "Together always and forever" didn't exactly mean a lot when they were stabbing each other in the back all of the time, or in Klaus's case: literally stabbing them in the chest. Hope stared at him for the longest time, he really was sticking to his guns, "And that's all you want?" She inquired, tiredly. Hope pondered briefly over what Aunt Rebekah would think, and then came to the conclusion that, if she wasn't willing to tell Hope why they were always moving, why she wasn't with her mother and father (wherever and whoever they are), and what the great danger they were constantly aware of was; then she had no right to be upset if Hope couldn't take the necessary precautions to prevent whatever it was they were supposed to be so afraid of, and that it was Rebekah's fault for leaving Hope so uninformed and therefore, vulnerable. Hope gestured meekly for Wyatt to start walking as she did, resting one hand on the strap of her bag, and letting the other swing freely, "What do you want to know?"

Wyatt nodded in answer to her question, and glanced her up and down before looking at her face. He paid particular attention to the war of conflicting thoughts and emotions flashing through her mind and eyes, the way her lips tightened and her shoulders tensed slightly, before all of a sudden she was gesturing for Wyatt to walk with her. He turned and fell into step besides her, thumbs tucking into the belt loops of his jeans as he looked down at her.

"Whatever you're willing to tell me," he told her, shrugging mildly. "I just wanna know you."

Hope couldn't prevent the slow smile spreading, she ducked her head a little, trying to angle it in a way so that he couldn't see the expression she was making, before she quickly stifled it, the cool facade replacing it. She arched an eyebrow at him instead, "I was being honest when I said I only knew one Mikaelson. My aunt Rebekah. She won't tell me anything." She shrugged infinitesimally, as if to indicate it didn't bother her, even though her tone clearly dictated that it did. Hope ran a hand through her hair and glanced at him quickly before going on, taking his silence as a sign for her to continue talking, "I was born this way, apparently, as some insane beast thing." She made small gestures with her hands as she talked, "Parts witch, vampire and werewolf."

Wyatt quirked his eyebrows, feigning surprises as if he hadn't already read her mind and got that down about her.

"I see," he hummed, a complicated expression coming over his face. She had to be Klaus' daughter. Had to be. Wyatt felt that he was finally onto something, some kind of lead. She only knew Rebekkah, however, which could raise potential problems. Either way, he would pursue her for now. "That's interesting," he murmured, before flashing her a small grin. "How about we do this over dinner?" He asked her, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her.

Hope stopped walking and pivoted to face him, gazing at him unashamedly, tilting her head suspiciously, "You want to have dinner?" She glanced down and checked her watch, "At ten o'clock at night?" She asked, her voice rising in pitch a little to emphasise her incredulity. Hope sighed and looked into the far off street, trying to remember where would be open at this time, she was pretty much resigned to giving Wyatt what he wanted at this point, she had to admit, though, it was mainly curiosity that drove her. Twenty years of unanswered questions and then suddenly someone who had the potential to give them to her came along. Hope huffed, "I... accept. But-" She took a step forward, "You're paying." She looked at him a moment longer and then began to head off towards the nearest restaurant. Wyatt bit down on his bottom lip as a partially smug, mostly pleased grin came across his face. She headed off with a determined stride, leaving him standing there for a moment as he glanced at the place where she'd been only seconds before with a faintly victorious expression on his face, before he turned on his heel and followed after her, jogging a few steps to catch up.

"I hold no protests to that," he told her, leaning down a little and speaking close to her ear as his eyes remained ahead of him, "I was going to pay anyway, whether you liked it or not." He straightened up once more, shucking his leather jacket a little "And to answer your question about my timing, well, when you're immortal, is time really ever an issue?" He asked, looking down at her with an expectant raise of his eyebrow. Hope shrugged her shoulders in a way that said 'fair enough', and craned her neck to look up at him for a bit as she spoke, "Pfft. Of course not. But, unfortunately, Mr. Wyatt, the rest of the world does not apparently run on the supernatural clock, as this restaurant we're headed to is only open until midnight at the latest, and that is because it is connected to a club." Hope gave him a pointed look, stuffing her hands in her pockets and returning her head to face forward, eyes fixed on the telltale neon lighting in the near distance.

Wyatt made a noise that suggested he was displeased to have this little fact pointed out to him, and sighed as he glanced up at the waxing moon hung heavy over a wispy cloud in the dark canvas of night sky. He licked his lips, lost in thought for a moment, recalling memories and adventures he'd experienced between the murder of each person on his revenge list.

"I've always preferred places like Melbourne and New York... and New Orleans," he told her idly. "Those cities know how to party, and they sure don't have a bed time. It was rather crazy, and exciting. I had some of my best nights in those cities." A wistful sigh escaped his lips and he shook his head as he looked forwards again, eyeing the neon sign that was now above them. "Here, I take it," he said, placing a gentle hand on her back and turning them to head inside. Hope had begun watching him with a slightly awed look on her face as he talked about the past, places he'd been. Hope had always had a weakness for the way people looked when they talked enthusiastically about something they were passionate about, and here Wyatt was, doing exactly that. It's like even his subconscious knew what to do in order to be charming at all times, when he wanted to be, Hope could imagine him having an entirely terrifying, sadistic side. Something she wanted to avoid at all costs, tribid or not. The sudden contact between them almost caused Hope to jump, and effectively drawing her out of her reverie, she snapped her gaze away from his face as fast as she could, her head blurring with vampiric speed, due to the desperation in the motion. She cleared her throat and gave Wyatt a brief nod, "Yep... this would be the one."

Wyatt eyed her curiously for a moment, eyebrows raised, but shrugged it off as they made their way into the restaurant. He led them towards a table in the far corner of the restaurant that was next to a window, a view of the street looking rather lovely, trees lining the sidewalks and street lamps setting them in an orange glow, stars scattered throughout the sky shining brightly. Wyatt pulled out a chair for Hope, gesturing with his other hand for her to sit down.

Hope took the seat, nodding appreciatively towards him and smiling at the waiter as she did so. She fidgeted a little in her seat as she waited for him to sit down himself, shrugging off her jacket and tucking her bag under the table. She crossed her arms delicately on the table, admiring their surroundings, "Wow. I'm impressed, for a nightclub restaurant, this place is fancy." She leaned forward conspiratorially, smirking, "candlelight and everything." She grinned at him and sat back in her seat, glancing up at the waiter and nodding pleasantly at him. Wyatt glanced at her as he shrugged off his leather jacket, the muscles in his arms flexing with each movement as he hung it over the back of his chair. He slid into his seat and scooted forward, closer to the table. His eyebrows arched, an amused expression coming across his face as she emphasised "everything", and he glanced at the waiter, accepting the menus offered.

"You would like that, wouldn't you," he smirked a little as the waiter left, leaning forward and whispering dramatically, "candlelight for your inner witch."

Hope's smirk deepened, and she pretended to be offended, shaking her head slowly, "I'll tell the other witches. You'd better watch your ass." She tried to keep the serious expression, but honestly, if she couldn't take herself seriously, how was he supposed to be convinced she was being so? Hope burst into a mini fit of giggles, fanning herself with her hand to calm herself down, shaking her head in an apologetic manner, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't, it was too much. I sounded like a hyped up, badass version of Bonnie." She sighed and smiled down at the table, cheeks a little flushed.

Wyatt shook his head with a small laugh, actually genuinely amused for once. He hummed, head tipping up a little as he arched his eyebrows, opening out his menu.

"Indeed," he said nonchalantly, humming a little. He averted his eyes and glanced down at the menu, skimming through the meals that were available with a speculative eye. He licked his lips, brows furrowing a little as he pondered over a rare steak with grilled vegetables and chips. He flicked his eyes up to look at Hope, a half smirk on his face. "Would it be cliche of me to order a rare steak?"

Hope resisted the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes, and instead shook her head, lips pressed together firmly, eyes pointedly fixed on her own menu, "Not at all. Not once have I ever heard a vampire order a rare steak outside of a movie, it's something I sorely need to experience." She informed him casually, never taking her eyes off of the menu. Hope sighed, deciding on her order and folding the menu up, crossing one leg over the other, and resting her hands in her lap, she looked over at him, "Anything more specific you want to know about me?"

Wyatt smirked more broadly and shook his head, folding his menu up and setting it in the middle of the table for the waiter to come and collect. He sat back in his seat and rested his palms on top of the table, fingers drumming one by one in a flowing rhythm before settling flat. He tipped his head to the side a little as she asked him her question, and shrugged a little in response. He tucked his legs underneath his chair and pushed his feet behind each of the front legs, clasping his hands together and leaning forward.

"Nothing specific," he said casually. "Just tell me a little about yourself."

Hope blinked at him in annoyance, it was difficult to think of something on the spot, she brought her hand up to play with her lower lip as she mulled over her answer, "I don't know my parents' names, or where they are. Heck, I don't know a single thing about either of them apart from the fact that they're alive." She took a moment to gaze sadly at the candle, before snapping out of it, and remembering she had company, carried on, "I, uh, was born in New Orleans. I have this weird kind of ritual slash tradition type thing going, where I work as a barista in every place we go to..." She trailed off, waving her hand to indicate there was more, "Etcetera. Any of this interesting to you?"

Wyatt nodded slowly as he listened, interest particularly piqued to learn that she'd been born in New Orleans and most definitely when he heard her mention a ritual, but sadly she didn't continue on that. He nodded as she asked him if he found her information interesting, propping himself on his elbows and bringing his clasped hand up to rest his chin on his knuckles, lips pursed.

"You're interesting to me," he told her honestly, tilting his head slightly. His gaze quickly skated over her form, before he glanced back up to her eyes and hummed. "Ritual, you say?" He asked, licking his lips and drawing his bottom lip into his mouth as his eyebrows furrowed. Hope smirked, not hesitating to roll her eyes this time, although a little pink in the cheeks, after his compliment, "I don't know why I do it, it's just kind of a constant. Something I don't really have in my life, a reliable factor. You know?" She paused to wave the waiter over, "I always make sure that if I get a job, I work as a barista." She shrugged loosely, leaning back in her chair once again.

Wyatt nodded his head, humming a little as he absorbed what she was saying.

"I see," he said, un-linking his fingers and setting his right arm down across the table, index finger and thumb of his left hand rubbing over his jawline as his eyes drifted to the right of her a little, lost in thought for a moment before he brought himself back into the room and looked at her once more. "Well, that's certainly not the worst job in the world," he conceded, "so fair enough." He crossed his arms over the table top and an inquisitive expression took over. "What do you do for fun?"

Hope considered that for a moment, biting down on her lower lip and looking towards the ceiling, not looking at him once she began to list off, "Reading, drawing, writing, singing; occasionally, cooking, baking, dodgeball, hiking..." She trailed off and glanced at him, raising her hands up defensively, "Rebekah is very protective, and doesn't let me go out much, and obviously, for good cause." She stated, gesturing towards Wyatt himself, who represented the danger. Wyatt smirked a little, amused, and cocked his head back and a little to the side, eyeing her with raised eyebrows, gesturing towards himself.

"Moi?" He questioned, "Are you insinuating that I'm dangerous?" He asked, tone raised with mock offense as he bit down on his lip to conceal a large grin. He placed a hand over his slow-beating heart and scoffed, "Mademoiselle, vous me blesser." He licked his lips and picked up the glass water bottle between them, pouring himself a drink. Hope narrowed her eyes fractionally at him, "Yes." She deadpanned. Then she rested her elbows on the table and placed her chin on top of her hands, eyes following his very move, "You are the most dangerous thing I've ever encountered, and yet here I am... Dinner for two." She rolled her eyes at herself and then her eyes lit up a little, amusement spreading over her features, "Oh, there you go. See? Another fact about Hope. She makes poor decisions that are rarely well thought out and have this almost tragic tendency to end badly." She sighed dramatically, a small smile betraying that she found the whole thing funny.

Wyatt was fairly amused, shaking his head a little, eyes sparkling faintly with mirth.

"Ah, mademoiselle, I think I'll forgive you for it," he sighed dramatically, before sitting up a little more. He winked at her before averting his attention to the waiter that was approaching, straightening his spine. "Hello, yes, I'll have the rare steak and a glass of red," he told the waiter, glancing over at Hope, "and for the lady..." He made a vague gesture towards her with his hand, indicating for her to give the waiter her order. Hope wriggled her nose and glanced down at the menu she'd set down to reassure herself of the name of the dish, "Uh, yes, hey, I'll have the nicoise salad, please." She gave the waiter another one of her polite nods, adding a friendly wink to the gesture this time, and handing him her menu when he asked for it. Hope watched him leave to deliver their order, and then let her eyes flit back to Wyatt, who was still smirking, "So you're French, huh?"

Wyatt watched as the waiter left before slowly averting his eyes back to Hope. He clasped his hands and interlocked his fingers once again, eyebrows raising a little, and scooted his chair in a little closer, crossing his ankles underneath the seat of it, leaning forward once again.

"Yes," he said simply, flashing her a small grin. "Why, are you interested in knowing my history?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a little to communicate his curiosity somewhat more effectively. His eyes seemed to roam freely of their own accord, taking in the details of her facial features and documenting the slopes of her shoulders and the fragility of her limbs.

Hope rested one of her elbows on the table and cupped her chin with her hand, staring at him with an indulgent smile, "You look like you have a wild history. I love me a good vamp story. My favourite so far has been Stefan's." She widened her eyes a little when she said 'Stefan' to emphasise it, trying to communicate the greatness of the story. Hope looked towards the window and then back to Wyatt, but then her breath got caught in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat momentarily, as suddenly the lights in the restaurant had been dimmed, and the candlelight illuminated Wyatt's face, emphasising all his best features, his cheekbones, the curve of his lips, and his eyes stood out more. It was like the universe wanted her to go down the wrong path. She blinked forcefully and shook her head infinitesimally, throwing a quick smile in his direction to try and cover up her slip. Wyatt looked at her with a certain level of intensity, dark eyes seeming to shimmer in the flicker of candlelight. His ears were attuned to the rhythm of her pulse, and he couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at one corner of his mouth.

"Stefan," he began, "has a... story worthy of horrors. Mine is much more worthy of the title... hmm, a psychological thriller, perhaps. Even so, my doppelganger and I aren't that different, even if he likes to pretend we are." Wyatt shrugged a little and sat up straighter, admiring the flush of Hope's cheeks and the shadows cast by her eyelashes onto her cheekbones.

Hope gave him a look that was accompanied by a motion that said 'Touche', and then patted her cheek with her hand lightly, leaning forward, looking excited, "Oh, man. I have got to hear this." She enthused, eyes shining and slightly widened in what could only be described as pure awe and fascination. She bit down lightly on her lower lip, watching him expectantly. Wyatt gave her a considering look, before his lips pursed and he shrugged in a nonchalant gesture, nodding his head in a fashion that communicated "fair enough", sitting back in his chair.

"Where would you like me to begin?" He asked her, tilting his head. "The part where the De Sauveterre's were a happy little family living in a mansion on a hill top next to a river that crossed over to corn field in France, or the part where our family tried to kill my brother and I once they realised what we were, what he was becoming, and so I murdered my parents and he murdered our sister?"

Hope made an inaudible "oooh" sound, doing the motion with her lips, her eyes still wide and inexplicably interested. She was hanging on to every word, Wyatt speaking in the hypnotising way he does, twinned with candlelight? There was no way she could tear her eyes away, and she was fairly sure she would listen to him speak all night if he asked her to. Hope cocked her head in indecision, "How about just the beginning, wherever you're comfortable starting with?" She suggested softly, her voice was somewhat quiet and was actually verging on being a whisper. Wyatt blinked a little, surprised by the way she'd neither flinched nor shied away. He'd never received such an awed response. People either looked at him with disgust or ran away in terror. He swallowed a little, brow furrowing, before nodding slightly.

"Right, yes, well," he said, clearing his throat, "let's see. Um. My parents were Phillipe and Clémence De Sauveterre, and they named me after an English poet, actually, Sir Wyatt Thomas. We were a wealthy family... we lived in a large manor in the French countryside on a small hill that rested next to a fast-flowing river, and across the river we had corn and sunflower fields that my father cropped and sold. I had three siblings: Victoire, my older sister, Jakobe, my younger brother, and Adélaïde, our baby sister. We actually lived with the Salvatore's, and my older sister married into their family when she was twenty-five. Giuseppe's wife died giving birth to Damon, and so Victoire married him and they had Stefan together. Damon wasn't actually Giuseppe's son... my brother was more scandalous than I'd given him credit for."

Hope's whole posture changed immediately, her expression shifted to one of shock and slight alarm, and she sat up completely straight in her seat, putting a hand to her mouth to complete the stance. She shook her head slowly, laughing in small, shocked huffs, eyes latching back onto his as she settled down again, "Woah. That was definitely not something I was expecting to hear. So, Damon is a bastard? As in, a bastard? In the literal sense of the word? That is amazing. Oh, and so fascinating. I'm already loving this more than Stefan's." She enthused, bouncing in her seat a little. Hope had always been more than an active member of any audience, mainly because she always got so immersed in anything. But she seemed to be reacting to this more than anything, one theory that sprung to mind is that it was because someone other than Aunt Rebekah was being honest and telling her about their life, and unlike Aunt Rebekah, there were no coverups, no mysterious plot holes or half truths, no concealed identities or shameless lies. It was something Hope appreciated more than she could ever communicate. Wyatt eyed Hope with amusement and nodded his head.

"Indeed," he said. "Damon was a bastard child. But anyway... the happy family was soon corrupted. I was turned, unwillingly, when I was twenty-one, and when my brother was nineteen he sustained an injury and I lost control. I fed on him to the brink of death, and the only way to save him was to turn him. So I did. Except my parents found us as I was turning him, and it was all downhill from there. I was high on blood lust and survival instincts - when my parents tried to stake me, I ripped their heads off. My younger sister was bleeding, and Jakobe had just been turned, so his transition was completed by the taking of our baby sister's life, and we fled."

Hope's expression immediately sombered and she crossed her arms on the table, simply nodding sadly. Her eyes scoured his, the reflection of the flickering candle reflected in them, but she could see no further than that. Hidden depths. She cleared her throat and scratched at her throat, "So... are you and Jakobe the only remaining De Sauveterres?" She inquired tentatively, expertly pronouncing the surname, impressing even herself. She had not been aware she was so capable of doing an authentic french accent. She took note of that new skill, she was sure it would come in handy at some point. Wyatt's expression darkened considerably further, and he shook his head.

"The bloodline inevitably goes on, I'm sure; but I'm the only surviving De Sauveterre from my family. I stayed with my uncle, aunt and their children for some time, but once they died I moved on. But my family? I'm the last," he explain, eyes fixed to the table but not seeing the table itself. There was a far away look in his eyes as he spoke, voice harsh and rough like sand paper scraping concrete. "My brother was kidnapped and burned to death in the 1864 war in Mystic Falls. I took my revenge on them over the years."

Hope felt this strong and what she considered to be a highly inappropriate urge to hug the man she had met only today. It had not even been one day that they had known each other, and yet, she felt like she knew him. As if they'd known each other for years and years. She supposed it was probably just the intimacy of the moment, and actually did contemplate hugging Wyatt, but a stronger instinct told her that there was no way he would appreciate or welcome the gesture. Besides, it would be considered an odd thing to do, considering they were barely acquaintances. Hope pulled her drink towards her, the waiter had delivered their drink orders to them whilst Wyatt had been in the midst of telling his story, and neither of them had notcied as they had been too wrapped up in the other. She took a quick sip to ease her dry throat,

"What about Damon and Stefan? They're technically your family, right?" She asked, her voice somewhat husky as it had been a considerable amount of time since she had last spoken.

Wyatt shrugged a little and nodded, glancing up at Hope.

"Stefan and Damon are my doppelganger nephews, yes," he conceded, raking his teeth over his bottom lip. "I don't really see them much, because it's a pain in the ass. Can you imagine what that feels like, Hope?" He questioned, looking up into her eyes. He wore an open expression at this point, and there was a pained darkness to his aura. "Can you imagine what it feels like to see two vampire brothers with the exact faces of you and your own dead brother, living together, breathing together, saving each other's lives and drinking together? Just being together?"

Hope felt a distinct pain in her chest, and an electrified feeling flooding through her at the sudden and unexpected demonstration of feeling and emotion from the self proclaimed sociopath. She'd seen more than the reflection of the candlelight in his eyes, and he almost looked to be in pain as he talked about The Salvatore Brothers, and true to Hope's knack for immersion, she put herself in his situation. She imagined it so vividly that it almost scared her, the electrifying feeling that lingered only added to her imagination. Hope pictured herself with a younger brother, and then suddenly without one. She could almost feel the pain she associated with it, it was real and numbing and terrifying. Hope could only imagine feeling a pain that consumed you everytime you saw the faces of your own descendants, as they survived and strived, never once realising how much their lives are desired, just how lucky they are. Hope gripped the edge of the table tightly, only just managing to snap out of he reverie in time to surpress the tribrid strength that would reduce the table to splinters. She looked slowly up and directly into Wyatt's eyes with fresh pain and a somber look of understanding. Her empathy always did this to her. It was why her aunt sometimes called her a failed vampire.

Wyatt watched Hope closely and carefully, her reaction both intriguing and alarming. He frowned heavily and took a breath, sipping back his red wine harshly. In an instant, it was as if those feelings he'd experienced had never been there. It was an uncanny trait among people like himself, the ability to shut out emotions and simply not feel a thing. He quirked his eyebrows up a little and gave Hope a small smile, one that wasn't entirely genuine, as he set his glass back down on the tabletop and licked his lips.

"Anyway," he said, "I think that's enough for tonight. If I give it all away, you'll have no reason to see me again."

A smile quickly appeared on Hope's face again, Wyatt had managed to produce from her the exact emotion he had wanted her to feel. It was almost unnerving how absolute his ability to do that was. She was just about to say something when the waiter arrived with their food, she obligingly moved her glass out of the way and grinned appreciatively at the food, thanking the waiter profusely and assuring him she thought it looked delicious, as he had prompted her to do so. When the waiter had eventually left them, she returned her attention to Wyatt, along with an arched eyebrow, and then replied to his previous words, "Again? Did you not get the information you needed from me? Just ask me outright, I'm willing to be open with you." She stated, a little confused. No-one had ever been interested in her for anything other than something she could give them. Information, her body, her blood, her mind. There had been too many people who proved to be more interested in gaining something from her, and that she ultimately always refused to give them.

Wyatt arched an eyebrow as he took the cutlery and napkin from the pot in the centre of the table, handing a set to Hope and taking a set for himself. He unraveled the knife and fork from the napkin, setting the napkin on his lap before beginning to cut into his steak. He took a bite and chewed slowly, savouring the taste, before sipping his wine and finally opening his mouth to speak.

"I asked to get to know you," Wyatt stated, giving her a look, "not if I could extract information from you. Honey, you have nothing for me to gain by pursuing you. I'm just interested in you, as I said earlier."

Hope frowned at that, shaking her head in disagreement,

"But, why? I don't see what you gain here." She argued, stabbing delicately at her salad, concentrating more on that than Wyatt's reaction, the frown remaining on her face. She popped a collection of egg, tuna, lettuce and olive into her mouth and munched on it calmly, raising her eyebrows at him from across the table, awaiting a response. Wyatt tilted his head, eyes skimming over Hope's form, the way she postured herself and the glow of her skin under the candlelight.

"I'm not interested in gaining anything," Wyatt said slowly, looking Hope in the eyes to try and emphasise his point. "I'm not after information or any material value or social ranking. I'm just interested in you. I really wish you'd stop questioning my motive."

Hope sighed, giving a slight jerk of her head as she did so, she screwed up her mouth and then brought her hands up to make gestures as she apologised,

"I'm sorry, I just... I don't know. No-one's ever actually wanted that from me before. Motive free, you know? But, I feel like I can take you as being honest and sincere about this, so..." She crossed her arms over her chest and awkwardly averted her gaze from his, "I believe you, and I would also like to get to know you, too." She confessed, pretending to be interested in picking a small piece of thread off of her top. Wyatt eyed her closely for a moment, listening to the beat of her heat, before he nodded with a small, actually sincere smile.

"Good," he said quietly, before cutting into his steak and collecting it onto his fork with some salad. He scooped it into his mouth and glanced outside through the window, watching the occasional pedestrian make their way by. Mystic Falls constantly contradicted itself, in that it was quiet yet often lively, mild yet its crime rate spiked a lot, and small-scale but sometimes so busy you'd think that its population was far greater. Hope nodded amicably, and returned her attention to her salad, she'd underestimated her appetite before, and the food here had surprisingly turned out to be delicious. She'd underestimated the restaurant, too. She glanced up at Wyatt occasionally, as they ate in a comfortable silence. She noticed that both of them liked to people watch, Wyatt seemingly preferring to watch those actually outside the restaurant and on the street, whereas Hope was content enough with gazing at their fellow patrons.

Wyatt turned away from watching those outside and spent a few short moments studying Hope's face. She was undoubtedly beautiful, that was clear, with long, wavy hair in a gorgeous shade of golden blonde, and fluttering eyelashes that cast shadows over her cheekbones. He wondered if there were more to her, anything about her that made her stand out from the crowd. A pretty face didn't mean all that much when it stood alone. He frowned a little, eyes falling down to his plate as he ate and drank. He definitely wanted to learn more about this tribrid. Hope was painfully aware of Wyatt's eyes on her face, it was the biggest amount of pressure she was sure she'd felt since the last move, his gaze was so intense and calculating. She sighed and fidgeted a little uncomfortably, trying to concentrate on her food, she did try, and managed to keep it up for a bit, before she couldn't stand it and laid her knife and fork on her plate, clasping her hands together and addressing Wyatt,

"So, where are you staying?"

Wyatt glanced up from his plate once more and looked at Hope curiously.

"I have a room at the Salvatore's, actually," he said, nodding once as his eyes drifted to the side slightly in thought. "Only right that the nephews give their uncle a room to stay in when he visits, I suppose. Even if it is a little weird, two of us with the same face being in the same house." Wyatt shrugged a little and set down his cutlery, almost finished with his meal. He picked up his glass of wine instead and took a large mouthful, the drink almost finished.

Hope tilted her head curiously, at a sudden thought that had come to her,

"So, are Stefan and Damon the only doppelgangers in the bloodline?" She recalled the way Katherine liked to assume the role of Elena, and trick all of her friends and loved ones. Hope wondered just how complicated things could possibly get in Mystic Falls, if there were Salvatore doppelgangers running around, too. Wyatt shook his head, no, and sighed, setting his glass down.

"God knows how many there are," he said wonderingly, glancing out of the window once more. "A doppelganger was born every time another doppelganger died or became undead. I don't know if this has continued since Silas' destruction or not. So many of the stories and tales get twisted so that the truth isn't clear anymore. After all, Silas was from the times of the Roman empire."

Hope nodded, shrugging a little to accompany the motion,

"I can't imagine having a doppelganger, it must be so surreal. I mean, I reckon Elena's got the shortest straw of them all; Katherine."

Wyatt smirked a little and shook his head, eyeing Hope.

"Elena isn't as great as she seems once you get to know her. There are many redeeming qualities about Katherine, I find," he said lightly, shrugging with a small chuckle. "My brother has another doppelganger... Boone. I recently spoke to him. I think we're... going places together," Wyatt said, nodding to himself.

Hope snorted lightly,

"I never claimed to like Elena." She pointed out, giving him a look, a broad yet tight lipped smile spreading across her face. She cocked her head at the news of another doppelganger, "Wait, so you mean that there are now two Stefan's and two Damon's in town?" She asked tiredly, her face expressing the exasperation she was feeling, "Lord. Elena will find a way to start a fuss, create a drama, and then make it all about her." Hope muttered, a little bitterly. She didn't approve of, or like Elena Gilbert, at all. The way that girl carried on with herself, everyone wrapped around her finger, a complete disregard for the lives of those who would sacrifice themselves to save her... it sickened Hope. She avoided that crowd as much as possible. Wyatt nodded his head, then found himself snorting as Hope muttered about Elena. It was rather amusing to him, the way people outside of Elena's friendship circle saw past her selfishness and her lack of respect for lives outside of her love interests and family. Her friends sacrificed way too much for her, Wyatt thought, when she'd only save herself or her romantic lover over them, most likely, if their lives were hanging in the balance. Wyatt scoffed a little just thinking about it, shaking his head; one who regarded their friends as less than family was not an honourable person, in his opinion. Hope was still scowling from her lingering thoughts about Elena. She narrowed her eyes at her salad and stabbed at the final bits of food left on her plate. She swallowed thickly and then set her cutlery down, patting at her lips with her napkin, and smiling politely at Wyatt. She turned her attention to those around them and found that all the previous couples had been replaced by new ones, had they really been there that long?

Wyatt finished his meal and crossed his cutlery over his plate in the same manner he'd been taught to do so when he was a young boy. He took the napkin from his lap and dipped the end in his glass of water, before wiping over and around his lips, then rubbed it over his hands before folding it and setting it on the plate. A final swig and his wine was drained, and he looked up to catch Hope observing the people within the restaurant. He made note of the fact that they'd been in here for an hour and a half, and that it was half past eleven. Wyatt found himself not wanting to retire home yet, but if she desired so then he'd part ways with her for tonight. He glanced back at her and lifted an eyebrow.

"Are you ready to go home, or would you like to spend a little longer with me?" He asked her mildly. Hope turned her head to him sharply, his question catching her off guard. She blinked once, twice, a third time, considering her options. Rebekah had gone out for the night, and wouldn't be back until late afternoon tomorrow. Hope chewed on her lower lip as she mulled over the decision, she looked up to watch him as she thought it over, drinking in his appearance, she finally ducked her head in a gracious nod,

"I would like to spend more time with you, yes. If you're sure you aren't tired or anything, it would be an honour." She smiled at him, and then signalled the waiter for the bill. Wyatt smiled faintly and nodded, shaking his head a little as he did so.

"No, no," he said. "I'm not tired yet. I'd be glad to spend some more time with you."

The waiter approached their table and Wyatt pulled his wallet from the inner pocket of his leather jacket, unfolding two twenties and handing them over to the waiter.

"Keep the change as a tip," he said nonchalantly, before rising from his seat and tucking his chair under it, walking around the table to Hope, who had been about to protest over not splitting the bill.

Wyatt chuckled a little and shook his head.

"You told me to pay, and I told you I was planning on doing so whether you liked it or not anyway," he told her, before holding his arm out. "And I was merely going to request that you allow me to escort you outside the building."

Hope rolled her eyes mockingly, slipping off her chair, as she had been at an elevated height, due to her being on the small side. She took Wyatt's arm gently and grabbed her jacket and bag,

"You know, I was joking about that.." She teased, craning her neck to grin up at him, the beginnings of a smirk on her face. Wyatt shrugged a little as they turned and began walking out of the restaurant, smirking a little as he glanced down at her.

"Well, it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to have you paying for a dinner I persuaded you into, now would it?" He questioned, grinning a little as he pushed the door open for them and guided Hope out onto the street. He took a large inhale, breathing in the fresh, crisp night air, exhaling slowly before glancing down at Hope again. "Anywhere on your mind?" He asked. Hope groaned, scowling in a somewhat exasperated fashion at nothing in particular,

"I was really praying that you would have somewhere in mind. I don't really know my way around town, or where to go, if I'm honest." She shrugged, temporarily loosening his grip on her arm before she dropped her shoulders again. Hope lifted one side of her mouth in a half apologetic nod, as she glanced up at him,

"I guess we could go to my place, but... Rebekah. You know?"

Wyatt looked down at Hope with amusement, shaking his head.

"I was merely asking in case," he told her reassuringly, before glancing around the area. There was no one around - they were either all inside the bars or at home. "Hop onto my back and I'll take you to a good place?" He asked, letting go of her arm and turning around to present his back to her. He glanced over his shoulder at her with a reassuring smile. Hope raised her eyebrows in amusement, patting his back,

"Is this your way of making a move? I could easily keep up, you know..." She trailed off, realising he was going to be stubborn about this, as he remained in his position, and so, she clambered up and onto his back, wrapping her legs loosely around his hips and hugging onto him, she let out a small 'phew'.

Wyatt shrugged a little and hoisted her legs up a little more, tucking his arms under her thighs.

"While that's true," he conceded, glancing up at her with a smug grin, "you're nowhere near as fast as I am, and you've no idea where we're going." Before she could even protest, he took off across the road and into the woods, the trees blurring past them at an incredible, impossible speed. The wind cut at their bodies harshly and every scent in the woods was like a split-second attack to the senses before a new one overtook the last. They traveled for perhaps twenty seconds, before they found themselves on the other side of the woods at the opposite end of town, at the top of a cliff that overlooked a landscape hundreds of feet below filled with city lights that somehow didn't block out the gleam of stars in the sky. Hope had started to laugh a split second before they took off, and finished it the moment they came to a standstill in their new location,

"Phew! How invigorating." She commented, rubbing her hand along his shoulder and squeezing it, indicating that she wanted to be let down, and as he did so, she moved into hybrid speed, accelerating the process so that she could get over to the ledge and see the view. Hope tucked her hair behind her ear and opened her mouth with a grin, completely in love with the view. Wyatt watched Hope for a moment as she admired the view, body lain on the ground as she peered over the edge of the cliff. Wyatt chuckled faintly before slowly making his way over to her, sitting down on the cliff's edge and letting his legs dangle. He plucked at some dry grass at his side, before leaning back on his hands and simply admiring the sky and the city lights. It was beautiful up here, enigmatic and alive, yet also silent as if the entire world had died. It was peaceful. The lights and shimmers were like souls, awakened in the silence of everything else.

Hope crossed her arms and rested her chin on top of them, without too much pressure. She leaned as far as she dared to over the edge, trying to see as much of what there is to see as she could. She sighed contentedly and then rolled over a little to face Wyatt, staring up at him, assuming a casual pose,

"I get this feeling this is a favourite spot of yours." She commented calmly, quietly, not wanting to rip him out of his reverie. Wyatt nodded softly as he looked around the place, sighing quietly to himself.

"This is the first place Jakobe and I stopped after running from the massacre we'd left behind," he told her, a rare moment of pure sincerity. "I remember their blood curdling screams to this day, and how the tables turned. I remember burning with this unimaginable pain, like nothing I'd ever felt before, as my father doused me in vervain and shoved a stake through my chest just shy of my heart, and I remember tugging it out and pushing it through his throat. I remember how, after all of that, arriving here was a blessing. There was just this silence, and it was only my brother and I. Survivors. It was the calm after the storm, and it felt like, for a few hours, everything had been washed away by the immensity of nothing but soundless shining lights. It felt like what I used to figure heaven was. Peace."

Hope knew there was nothing she could say that would offer any solace, or remedy to the pain. She could see it from where she was lying, even from the angle his face was held at, the pain in his face and in his eyes was clear to see. Hope didn't really know what it was like to lose family, as she'd only ever really had the one member, and in her short lifetime, she'd never experienced the horrors Wyatt had, but she still wanted to console him. Let him know there was someone who cared about him, and didn't want him to be hurting, even though it was next to impossible to erase. And so, Hope simply placed a hand on top of one of his, and squeezed it lightly, promptly removing it. Respecting his space and privacy. She only really needed to get the gesture across, and the implied message, and she figured that would be enough for Wyatt. Wyatt snapped out of his reverie a little, and glanced down at where his hand rested as Hope slipped her hand away once more. He glanced at her face, eyes searching her features, before hesitantly reaching out and taking her hand in his, gently lacing their fingers together as he did so, and resting the joined hands on the ground between them. He lay back next to her, looking up at the sky and simply allowing its enormity to consume him. A common misconception was that sociopaths couldn't appreciate things that didn't offer them value, things to gain. That was wrong. Every person has more than one side to him. Although, Wyatt pondered, perhaps it was true. The sight of all of this, after all, gave him some peace - and that was probably one thing he surely did not deserve.

Hope glanced at him, although she was not too surprised, which, in itself, surprised her. She ended up rather confused. Hope's stare trailed down from Wyatt and to their joined hands, with a small smile. She turned her attention back towards the sky, easily getting lost in the stars, and the promise of the sky. She craned her neck a little to try and find the moon, and quickly spotted it, up and to the left a bit, just about visible from her awkward self angling of her head. Satisfied with finding the moon, she returned to her original position, absentmindedly caressing the back of Wyatt's hand with her thumb. Wyatt closed his eyes, relaxed for the first time in quite a while. There was a gentle, humid breeze that swept through the trees and caressed their skin, ruffing their hair ever so slightly. He sighed a little, indulging in the feeling. As it was, he felt content to just lie here for hours. Hope would most likely want to return home at some point, though, which would be a shame, but he didn't mind. Should that happen, he'd just return here to watch the sunrise. This had always been the best spot for it in Mystic Falls, he knew. The sun would slowly lift above the horizon and cast everything in a golden orange glow, lighting up the buildings and nature. It was wonderful. The peace and silence lasted a while longer, but was abruptly interrupted by the sound of Hope's phone going off in her pocket. She huffed and gave Wyatt an apologetic look, deftly retrieving her hand from his and sat up, accepting the call and pressing the phone to her ear,

"Rebekah- Hi. You... What, now? Where?" She glanced around her in confusion, peering into the darkness in a slightly paranoid fashion, and then the voice on the other side of the call talked for a bit, Hope making little affirmative noises occasionally, as she got to her feet and paced about, "Well, of course- I- No?" Rebekah ranted on and on unnecessarily for a bit, before getting to the point, at which point Hope froze, raising a hand to her head to rake through her hair, visibly stressed, "Are you kidding me? We just moved in here. I just made friends- Rebekah- What? Why... I don't understand." She sighed in resignation, removing her hand from her hair and massaging her temple with it instead, "Fine. What time tomorrow? Right. I'll be there."

Wyatt frowned a little and sat up, brow furrowed heavily as he looked up at Hope. He hadn't been listening in on the conversation, not feeling it necessary to; but now he wished he had.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned. He stood up and dusted himself off, turning to look down at Hope. He tilted his head, chewing his bottom lip a little roughly as he awaited her response, curious and a little tense.

Hope shoved her phone into her pocket and took a step closer to him, peering up at him sadly,

"Apparently we're moving tomorrow. Again." She confided, raising her hands in an exasperated gesture, her eyes alternating from looking up into his, and glancing at the city lights behind him. She felt a lump rise in her throat, and she crossed her arms, frustrated,

"I mean, I just..." She sighed and unfolded one arm to gesture randomly, "I just made friends, and I like it here." She complained. Hope chewed on her lower lip and then glanced back up at him awkwardly,

"And now you're here, and that's just another reason not to leave."

Wyatt slowly took a step towards her, not liking this feeling at all.

"Don't go then," he said suddenly, taking her hands in his. He glanced down at them, before looking back up at her. "Not to sound like a Romeo - believe me, I'm not that kind of person - but you leaving now would be pretty awful. I'd like to get to know you some more, and you are twenty years old. It's not as if she can haul you wherever she pleases for the next eternity. If you don't want to leave, then don't," he said, licking his lips with a small frown as he gauged her reaction. Hope looked down to their hands, and stayed like that for approximately a minute, before sighing, and smirking a little, reluctantly,

"Rebekah will throw a fit, but... you're right. I'm twenty." She nodded, more to herself than to Wyatt. She gazed up at him a little earnestly, "I'm glad I met you, today. Imagine if one thing was different, say, for example, I hadn't seen you at the bar, and thought you were Stefan. Can you imagine? Our evenings would have gone so differently." She mused, frowning and focusing on the left side of the sky for a bit. Wyatt glanced to where she was looking, before he looked back at her and nodded.

"But, alas, the evening took its course, and you just shaped your own future with one decision - probably for the better," Wyatt nodded, smirking a little as he looked at her before tipping his head back to look up at the moon. He hummed a little, admiring it in the sky, before looking back at Hope once more.

Hope gave him an approving look, winking at him a tad cheekily,

"Very good. Wow. You're good. What a brilliant and highly relevant example." She chuckled and then sighs happily, "I'm going to need to get home now, and explain my plans to my crazy, irrational, verging on psychotic aunt. But wait, where am I going to live?" She groaned at the realisations of the implications and difficulties of staying behind. Wyatt shrugged a little, turning around and presenting his back to her once more.

"No idea," he said. "You have plenty of options, really. You're a vampire werewolf witch," he grinned, laughing a little. "The possibilities are endless, to be honest. You could even crash with me, if you wanted."

Hope squinted at him,

"At The Salvatore boarding house? But Elena's over there all the time..." She joked, shaking her head and giving a little huff as if it really bothered her, she laughed over it briefly before offering him a genuine smile, tilting her head shyly,

"But seriously, that sounds like a very good plan to me."

Wyatt nodded a little with a small chuckle.

"True," he told her. "Come on, hop on," he glanced over his shoulder at her, waiting. "And I also feel like I should inform you that I reside mostly in Beacon Hills at the moment, but I'm sure you'll survive without me. Or you could come with. I visit back and forth so you'll have friends in both places, should you decide to join me."

Hope hopped onto his back much easier this time, nodding along, making affirmative noises much like she did when she was on the phone with Rebekah,

"Sure, sure, I'll come along with you, just as long as it's somewhere we can stay. I'm done with the constant moving around." She resumed her hug like grip on him, and prepared for the travel.

Wyatt nodded once, then took off with her. The surroundings blurred by once again, and the winds cut harshly at their skin, but they arrived in town once more, and once they did he set Hope on her feet once more before turning around to face her with a small smirk, brow furrowed.

"Do I walk you home now or not?" He asked, only partly joking. Hope gave him a sly smile,

"You kind of have to know where it is in order to walk me home, otherwise it's just following..." She replied smoothly, patting his chest and pretending to go and walk off. Wyatt arched an eyebrow, lips parted and forming an 'o' shape, giving Hope a look that communicated a pleasant sort of almost-shock at her sass. He smirked a little and moved to follow her, leaning down next to her ear as he caught up with her, chuckling a little.

"Well, actually, if I'm walking next to you then technically it's just me accompanying you, isn't it?" He smirked. Hope sighed heavily, patting his cheek condescendingly, and giving a half roll of her eyes,

"I was so pleased with myself for that, you couldn't have just let me have it?" She moaned, with a laugh. Hope grinned fondly up at him and then jerked her head, indicating that he should come with her.

Wyatt chuckled a little, eyes closing on reflex as she tapped his cheek before he opened them again and gave her a smug look, straightening up his posture and falling into step with her, smoothly wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, but I'm awful competitive," he mused. Hope grumbled and tried to shrug his arm off, but to no avail. She did a full roll of her eyes this time, but it was defeated by the smile on her face and the faint blush to her cheeks,

"My Aunt has this weird thing for Stefan, apparently they were together for a time. We're lucky she's not home until tomorrow."

Wyatt hummed and nodded a little, a satisfied note within him at how he'd gotten away with putting his arm around Hope.

"She was locked in a box for nearly a century, and the last thing she knew was being in love with him, back in the 20's, so when she woke up, well... that's the last thing she felt, so those feelings persisted to exist, I guess," Wyatt shrugged a little, teeth playing at his bottom lip as he pondered on it. Hope made an "ahh" sound, tutting sadly and shaking her head,

"Poor Aunt Bekah. All she wants is to be human." She confided, her own mind was not entirely with them, she was thinking back to the time when Rebekah had almost been human, only to have it snatched from her at the last second. Wyatt nodded a little, shrugging a single shoulder.

"Can't always get what we want, I suppose," he said lightly, pursing his lips. "I've always been on good terms with her, in all honesty," he added, glancing up at the building tops as they walked.

Hope smiled cheerily at that, turning to give him a view of it, raising her eyebrows,

"Good to know." She turned back to staring lazily at the occasional person they passed, grazing her teeth along her lower lip hesitantly before asking the question she'd been wanting to ask for a while, "Did you know my father and mother?"

Wyatt glanced down at Hope with a small shrug, eyeing Hope closely.

"I might do," he said vaguely, licking his lips, a small frown denting his brow. "But you haven't told me their names, so I've no idea," he told her, shaking his head somewhat as if to indicate the impossibility of knowing such things when he'd received no information from her. He neglected to mention that her being a tribrid meant that she was likely to be Klaus' daughter, since he didn't want to throw out accusations. Hope gave a despairing sigh, nodding in sober agreement,

"That's true, and I would, but I don't know their names myself." She admitted, accompanying her words with gestures, and miniature expression changes. Wyatt's eyes skimmed over her expression, before he nodded slowly and turned away to look ahead once more. He took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow exhale.

"It's alright," he said. "If you want, I can always just work it out of Rebekkah," he told her, shrugging casually.

Hope laughed freely, gave him an appreciative smile but a firm shake of the head,

"She'd just kill you, once she's made sure you're not Stefan. I'll find out when I'm supposed to." She countered, the shaking of her head become slow and sad, before the motion vanished and all that was left about her that communicated the emotion was the sad little smile on her lips. Wyatt smirked faintly, shaking his head with a small chuckle.

"I'm surprisingly fast," he grinned, "and I'm armed with more weapons than perhaps people would expect. But of course, I shall refrain if you see it fit of me to do so."

Hope snorted loudly, throwing a disbelieving look in his general direction,

"You're stereotyping yourself, Wyatt." She teased, trailing off as she pondered over whether that was the first time she'd spoken his name out loud. Wyatt arched an eyebrow and glanced at Hope with a small chuckle, tilting his head in amusement.

"Oh?" He questioned, "How so?"

Hope arched an eyebrow, evaluating the question,

"The formality, the rare steak," She grinned accusingly up at him, "The vocabulary and the impeccable manners, the typical vampiric belief of invincibility... Etcetera." She shrugged nonchalantly, tipping her face up to gauge his reaction. Wyatt rolled his eyes a little, smirking, before a somewhat dark expression shuttered over his face as he looked off into the open space.

"Oh trust me," he said lowly, "I believe in no-such thing as invincibility. I've seen men die, supernatural or not, thousands of times. Perhaps millions. On the battle field, in daily life, some at my own hand. I've come close to death a hundred times, but I escape. That's what I am, Hope. A survivor. Nothing more, nothing less."

Hope simply watched him, tilting her head in admiration,

"You're a survivor, you're a warrior, and you're a fighter. Your life has been filled with terror, and it's all you may have known, and yet here you are: unbroken. That's pretty admirable, if you ask me." She tipped her head towards him in dedication and respect. Wyatt glanced down at Hope and studied her features for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh and shaking his head minutely as he turned to look in another direction, nose wrinkling slightly as he sniffed, clicking his tongue a little inside of his mouth.

"Nah," he tutted, shaking his head. "I'm unhinged," he told her. "I know what people think of me, and I don't care."

Hope scoffed,

"If you say so, you big softie." She teased, poking his side. Wyatt flinched a little at the pet name, eyeing Hope with distaste.

"Please no," he drawled, facial features scrunched up. Hope tipped her head back and laughed, it was a real and genuine laugh, and Hope was one of those people who did things like laugh and smile with more than her mouth, her eyes lighting up,

"Alright, alright. The teasing only goes so far. I get it." She held her hands defensively. Wyatt let out a barely-there chuckle, shaking his head with a small sigh.

"Yes, that would be me," he agreed, a little exasperated smirk on his face that was accompanied with an eye roll. Hope simply ducked her head in agreement, a smile lingering on her face. Wyatt glanced at Hope with something that was almost fondness in his expression, before looking around at the surrounding area and taking it all in.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

Hope cocked a singular eyebrow at him,

"My house, remember? What a memory you have." She chuckled. Wyatt sighed heavily and shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Your sass is all the syrup I need."

He glanced at her and gave her a look that conveyed a lot of attitude, rolling his eyes, eyebrows arched.

"I meant, what area? I know we're going to your house. I'm just unfamiliar with these parts," he said, gesturing around them. Hope gestured vaguely in way of the general direction they were already headed,

"It's a secret. You're lucky I haven't blindfolded you, this is the VIP treatment, right here." She raised her eyebrows in an entirely serious manner. Wyatt cocked his head a little, a small smirk on his face.

"Oh really?" He challenged jokingly, before sobering up a little. "Well then, glad to be so privileged."

Hope smirked, winking at him sidelong and carrying on, they were almost there. She started rummaging through her bag for the keys. Wyatt stepped aside, removing his arm from her shoulders so that she could search easier, glancing up at the house they stood before. Oddly enough, this place did strike a familiarity within him. He rolled his eyes a little at the way his head began to hurt when he tried to place the building at a specific point in time in which he might've come across it, and sighed heavily. Of course. All current feelings suggested he'd been compelled to forget this place. Damn originals. Hope cheered in a happy exclamation upon finding the elusive keys, she swileved to present the keys to Wyatt triumphantly, and then skipping up to the door and swiftly unlocking it. She stepped back, gesturing for Wyatt to venture inside ahead of her,

"Voila."

Wyatt glanced at her before slowly stepping towards the door with a sigh.

"If I have to be invited in, I swear-" he muttered, but his lamentations had no need, for his foot swiftly overstepped the threshold, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Well, I've definitely been here before then," he mumbled, shaking his head as he moved the rest of the way into the house.

Hope watched on, extremely amused and then appropriately curious, tilting her head and stepping inside after him,

"You think so? Reckon you were compelled?" She asked casually, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it up, dropping her bag off by the door. Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at Hope with a small nod, a faint smirk on his face.

"When it comes to the Mikaelson's? Yes, I'm always betting on compulsion," he chuckled, eyebrows quirking up in a sarcastic sort of amusement. He glanced around the place, fingers flexing at his side, before he turned on his heel to face her. "Any preferences? Shoes off, etcetera?"

Hope waved him off, shaking her head vehemently,

"Wooden floors, brown carpet. No need to take off shoes or anything, but you're welcome to if you want to." Hope rolled up her sleeves and went to grab a hairband from her bag, tying her hair up in a loose ponytail. Wyatt glanced down at the flooring then at his own shoes, before nodding to himself and looking up at her once more.

"No, I think I'm good," he told her, tucking his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. He stood and rocked on his heels a little, licking his lips and tugging at the bottom one with his teeth, a habit of his, as he awaited further instruction. Hope blinked at him, smiling a little nervously, she linked her hands infront of her, down by her navel. She glanced around her, trying to think, and then she perked up,

"You want a drink? We've got Scotch." She offered bravely. Wyatt's gaze moved to her and he nodded once, shrugging mildly.

"Sounds good to me," he conceded, gesturing down the corridor for her to lead the way, since any memories he'd had of this place had been compelled away from him. He'd have to figure out some way of getting those back, and if he found out it was Klaus that had compelled him? Well, let's just say that white oak stake would be coming into play far sooner than Wyatt had imagined. Hope grinned, ducking her head in the direction of the kitchen and heading off towards it, tucking her hands into her jean pockets, a slight skip in her step,

"So, you know my family?"

Wyatt nodded his head a little and followed her down the corridor into the kitchen, tucking his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

"Yep," he said vaguely by way of confirmation. "Every single last one of them."

Hope whipped her head round to stare excitedly at Wyatt, eyes wide, ponytail swinging about,

"Could you tell me about them?" She tried not to beg, but the eagerness and desperation to learn was painfully obvious.

Wyatt shrugged faintly as he took up a space next to the counter, resting his arm on top of it and leaning.

"Depends on what you want to know," he said evasively. Hope squinted at him, the excitement draining away a little, she blinked at him and then sighed, tugging a hand through her wavy hair, at the end of her ponytail,

"Just... anything, really. Their names, even?" She began to worry her bottom lip between her teeth and grabbed a stool, pulling it over to the counter, hopping up on it in order to reach the liquor cabinet, sliding the key out from on top of it, swiftly unlocking it and yanking the door open. Wyatt slowly pulled a stool out for himself and sat down, making himself comfortable while still maintaining his straight posture. He watched her for a moment, eyes traveling over the length of her body as she stretched up towards the liquor cabinet, before he glanced down at the counter top.

"Rebekkah, as you know. Then there's Klaus, Elijah, Kol, Finn, Esther and Michael."

Hope paused mid way through grabbing the scotch, she kind of just stood there on the stool for a few seconds, hands on the bottle in the cabinet. She knew her heartbeat had audibly accelerated and was beating with a new ferocity, but she trusted that Wyatt would be polite enough to not mention it. She cleared her throat and blurred down from the stool, suddenly beside him, offering the bottle to him for him to inspect,

"If it's not too much trouble... What are they like?"

Wyatt blinked a little before glancing from Hope to the bottle, then back again; he took it from her hands and turned it in his grasp, eyeing the label and the date on it before nodding and setting it down on the side.

"They're a bunch of nutters, to be completely honest," he told her with a small shrug, sighing mildly. "But they can be alright."

Hope let a laugh escape her lips, she leaned over him slightly to take the bottle, a long strand from her hair coming loose from the ponytail and falling between them, providing a visual demonstration of how close they were to each other. She grabbed the bottle, flashed Wyatt a smile and jogged over to get some glasses,

"Sounds like a family I would be related to." She joked. Wyatt inhaled a little sharply at her close proximity, and the rush of air as she turned suddenly and practically skipped away was like a small slap in the face. He huffed and shook his head, leaning more heavily against the counter and watching her as she busied herself with fetching and filling glasses.

"Well, I wouldn't know how true that statement may be yet," he smirked.

"Yet?" She asked, making her voise rise as if she were offended by the statement, and yet made sure he saw she was smiling, as a clear indication she wasn't being serious. She poured just the right amount of Scotch in each glass and was suddenly by Wyatt's stool, once again, leaning over him to grab a drinks coaster, mumbling an awkward sorry, and setting his drink down. She placed a coaster at her intended place and then disappeared, reappearing in her seat with her drink not even a second later.

Wyatt rubbed his eyes a little at the fast flurry of motion, a small chuckle escaping his lips within a breathy sigh. He wrapped his long fingers around the glass and lifted it in a toast towards Hope, before sipping some of the liquor back and closing his eyes, enjoying the pleasant burn of it slipping down his throat. Setting the glass down once more, he licked his lips and glanced over at Hope, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"You could tell me some more about you, and then I'd know," he said slyly. Hope joined him in his toast, taking a decent gulp of the scotch, and it did not disappoint. She gritted her teeth a little at the slight burn, looking over at Wyatt as his eyes were finding her, she licked her lips and set her drink down, crossing her arms on the table and mock glaring at him,

"I'm honestly nowhere near as interesting as you seem to think I am. Maybe if you prompted me, I could answer, but I can't come up with any more on the spot."

Wyatt's eyes sparkled faintly with amusement, and he threw his hands up into the air a little in a half-arsed mockery of a surrendering gesture before setting them in his lap and grinning at her lightly.

"Alright then," he drawled, humming slightly. "What was your favourite thing to do as a kid?"

Hope made a small appreciative humming noise upon hearing the question, taking a sip from her drink as she thought. She had a very expressive face,

"When I was younger... My favourite thing to do was tree jumping." She spoke slowly, seemingly deciding as she spoke, and then nodding after answering, pleased with her answer, her eyes sparkling a little. Wyatt smiled a little and nodded, head tipping to the side slightly as he glanced Hope up and down. He let out a mirthful snicker, shaking his head with a fake-exasperated sigh.

"I can definitely see that," he nodded, biting his bottom lip to conceal a laugh. Hope raised her eyebrows, assessing his reaction, smirking and tipping her face up a little, her posture straightening out so that she almost looked elegant or regal,

"Next question?" She inquired. Wyatt eyed her for a short moment, before picking up his glass and taking the bottle into his hand, standing up.

"Let's relocate to somewhere more comfortable?" He suggested, inclining his head towards the general vicinity of the living room.

Hope decided that actions spoke louder than words, and so following those wise words, she jumped up, grabbing her drink and slipping past him and into the living room. She glanced around quickly and blurred about, managing to tidy up before he actually strolled into the room. By the time he stepped over the line that qualified as the separation between rooms, she was lounging casually on the sofa, gaze directed towards him expectantly, glass resting on the coffee table. Wyatt smirked and casually passed it off, pretending he hadn't at all noticed her little whiz-about clean up. He moved over to the sofa and placed the bottle on the coffee table, taking a seat next to her and relaxing back into the sofa cushions with a small sigh. Glass settled on the top of his thigh within the loose grip of his right hand, he turned his body slightly towards her and looked at her with a small huff.

"So... favourite genres of music?" He questioned. Hope tipped her head up to the ceiling, an open mouthed grin on her face in reaction to the question,

"I have a really odd taste in music. It ranges from rock to pop and then there's a little bit of indie, and r&b in there. It's unpredictable." She let her head loll onto the sofa head, turning to look at him, an unashamed smile on her face. Wyatt let his eyes travel over her features before he tipped his head back against the sofa and let it rest there, mimicking her position, a slow and easy smile creeping onto his face against his will. The alcohol had loosened him up somewhat, especially since he'd mixed substances, and Hope was pleasant company to keep.

"That's similar to the way mine varies," he told her, making eye contact. "Rock, indie, some screamo, grunge, alternative, post-punk revival, a couple of chart hits, and then some smooth jazz, Motown, Ska and even a few country songs. I guess you grow to like a lot of different types when you've been around for nearly two centuries."

Hope nodded slowly, as best as she could considering the position she was in, matching his eye contact, and maintaining it. She licked her lips and her eyes flitted down to the drink in his hands before they returned promptly to his face,

"I suppose you would. Impressive. I like it." She raised her hands up high enough so they were withing their field of vision, considering they were both sitting in the exact same position, and clapped lightly.

Wyatt eyed her hands with an arched eyebrow, gaze flitting between her eyes and her hands, an expression on his face that translated to, "Really?", though a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips and had them curving ever-so-slightly upwards. She amused him a lot, it seemed. She was surprisingly good at that, for some reason. There was just something about her. Hope shrugged lazily, dropping her hands and bringing her feet up so that she could sit in a fetal position, her head remaining where it was on the sofa, eyes remaining on Wyatt,

"Any more questions? We're on a roll, here." She enthused. Wyatt crossed his right leg over the other and turned so that he was situated more on his side, propping an elbow up on top of the back of the sofa and resting his head against his hand, curling his fingers into a fist. He once again unashamedly studied Hope's facial features, not at all abashed by his obviousness, before looking back up at her eyes.

"Where do you see yourself in twenty years time?" He asked her. Hope considered that for a bit, allowing her tongue to slide over her teeth as she pondered,

"In twenty years?" She echoed, tapping her fingers aimlessly on the bit of sofa between them, eyebrows brought forward slightly and eyes focused on her hand, "I see myself finally settled down somewhere, with friends, a life, a good job with a decent salary, and a complete lack of fear. I see no fear in my life whatsoever. I have to break this cycle that Aunt Rebekah has created, Wyatt. I can't run from the unknown anymore." She confessed, her answer being a little more heartfelt and serious than she had intended it to be. Wyatt nodded slowly as he absorbed the information, taking it all in with a fond sort of expression that showed he appreciated the sincerity, eyes scanning her features and taking in details, like the way her lips twitched slightly when she became a little nervous about how much she'd revealed of herself, and the way her eyes seemed to pool when she spoke from the heart.

"Idealistic," he conceded, pursing his lips and bobbing his head a little in consideration, before lifting his glass to his lips and taking a sip; he licked them afterwards and lowered the glass to his leg once more. "Idealistic, but certainly nice."

Hope slumped further into the sofa, a distant expression lingering on her face, she felt her lips twitch of their own accord, wanting to smile, but not really getting there due to the warring emotions she was experiencing internally. Hope began to trace random shapes and patterns on the sofa instead, bringing her head up and off of where she had laid it, breaking eye contact with Wyatt and giving her attention instead to the fireplace across from them,

"How about you?" She half whispered. Wyatt licked his lips a little and shrugged his shoulders, lips twisted a little as he thought. He couldn't really come up with much. Immortality presented certain difficulties with the whole "settling down" side of things, and certainly it also meant that there were no real plans for him. He enjoyed traveling, and really, when you'd lived for as long as he had, what more was there to do?

"I just think I'll continue to travel," he told her honestly, shrugging. "The world has plenty to offer, despite the fact that I've been to the majority of its countries already. Revisits are always a pleasure, and I suppose I could visit the ones I haven't." He shrugged again and sighed. "Maybe I'll climb Everest, who knows. Either way, immortality means you've a lot of spare time on your hands. The world isn't that big, but I guess, then again, new technology and movements and advances within society will prove to offer me brand new experiences, so... guess it's not all tedious."

Hope nodded along amicably as he spoke, occasionally lifting her head to watch him as he spoke, eyes repeatedly making the complete assessment of his face, seemingly unable to prevent herself from doing so. When he had finished she took a sip from her drink and licked her lips,

"I want to travel, eventually. Of my own accord, you know? When I have a permanent home to go back to." She stumbled across the realisation that this was the first heart to heart, or whatever this was, she'd had with another person in the longest time. Hope was mainly used to things being concealed and forbidden areas in conversations. This level of honesty and personal information was new and rare for her all at once.

Wyatt made an acknowledging hum and sipped his Scotch, eyes drifting over to the other side of the room and briefly taking in the furniture and ornaments lain out in there. The house itself was definitely striking a chord within him; but every time he tried to push his memory to give him something more, his head began to ache and burn in steadily-increasing waves of excruciating pain. He sighed heavily and set his glass on the coffee table before settling back against the sofa again and looking at Hope. Hope frowned at the sounds he was making and shuffled about until she was facing him, close enough that she could reach out and place her hands on either side of his temple, biting her lip in concentration,

"Will you let me help you?" She asked softly, taking away the effect of the compulsion without consent was just as bad as the compulsion itself. It was vital that this was Wyatt's decision, otherwise she was just another Mikaelson messing with his mind. Wyatt swallowed roughly, eyeing Hope with distrust as he felt her fingers press against his temples. He licked his lips, a deep-set frown furrowing his brow heavily as his eyes scanned over her features, and he couldn't help himself but sort through her thoughts once again to figure out her intentions. Upon seeing that they were pure, he relaxed a little and slowly nodded, eyes meeting hers.

"If you would," he said quietly. "Please."

Hope gave a half nod in response, already too concentrated to give a verbal response, she exhaled slowly, taking her time to close her eyes and identify herself with her own magic. She tentatively probed her way through his mind, ignoring everything that wasn't obviously suppressed, she wanted Wyatt's memories and thoughts to remain his own. Hope frowned a little as it began to wear on her, she stiffended almost innoticeably, hoping he wouldn't notice and stop her, she was so close. It took her a good eight or nine minutes to sort through and identify the exact memory he had been compelled to forget, the image of her home stood out amongst the others, just as she felt a small trickle of blood start to trail down her upper lip, from her nose, she swiftly broke the compulsion that shrowded the memory. Allowing Wyatt access to it once more. Wyatt blinked his eyes open a little as memories started to flash behind his eyes, a surprisingly sharp feeling that had him squeezing his eyes shut and tensing his muscles. He'd been here numerous times in the past, it seemed. Parties and social events and even just quiet drinks with Klaus while the rest of the family had either been elsewhere or dagger'd. Wyatt's brow drew down into a heavy frown as he saw the exact moment that Klaus had compelled him. It was the exact night that Klaus had disappeared and left Wyatt confused about his whereabouts, and suddenly it made sense why he'd felt no urge to try and find the man until now - because he'd been told to leave him be for a very long time. Wyatt sighed aggressively and shook his head, opening his eyes once more.

Hope sat back, a tentative look on her face, watching Wyatt closely. She hadn't taken a look at the memories she had set free, herself, she felt it would be too intrusive for her to do so. She scooted back a little bit to allow him space on the sofa,

"Is that better? Can you remember it now?" She inquired softly, putting a hand to her hair to tuck the loose strand back behind her ear, and then deciding to just let her hair free from the ponytail instead, tugging the band onto her wrist. Wyatt glanced at her and nodded his head, offering her a small smile.

"Thank you," he said quietly, leaning forward and lifting his hand to her face. "Did that hurt?" He asked, "You've got a little..." He gently swiped his thumb under her nose and over her top lip, wiping away the blood, a frown on his face as he did so, rubbing it away over his skin, before glancing up at her eyes. Hope stared back at him evenly, nodding keenly with a smile to match his own. She wriggled her nose and sniffed a little,

"It just tires me out. I'm fine." She assured him, putting a hand to her upper lip to make sure all the blood had been wiped off, checking her fingers and once satisfied there was no trace of blood left, she brought her legs up to cross, setting her hands on her ankles. Wyatt nodded, satisfied, and sat back again, leaning over to pick his drink up off the table; he took the bottle and topped up his glass, before glancing at Hope and gesturing with the bottle in offering.

"You good or you want a refill?" He asked her, glancing down at her almost-empty glass with slightly raised eyebrow.

Hope followed his gaze to her glass and blinked at it, still a little disorientated, and then scooped it up, making a quick decision,

"I'd love a refill, thank you." She smirked a little playfully at him, handing her glass and leaning back a little on the sofa, placing her arms behind her to rest on them, turning her gaze to the ceiling, studying the mini chandelier, something Rebekah had insisted on installing. She shook her head a little, sardonically. Wyatt took her glass with a small smirk, a low chuckle escaping his lips as he turned around and filled her glass again. Placing the bottle down, he picked up his own glass and sat back, handing Hope's drink to her and taking a sip from his own. He let out a small sigh and leaned back, head dropping onto the top of the sofa cushion freely, and joined the tribrid in looking up at the ceiling, tapping his fingertips lightly on the rim of his glass in an absentminded fidget. Hope scowled at the chandelier, it suddenly had become a visual representation of Rebekah's controlling nature,

"You got any questions for me?" She asked abruptly, glancing down at him momentarily before looking back up to the chandelier, and sighing lightly. Wyatt looked over at Hope with a faint note of surprise, having forgotten what they were previously doing. He shook his head lightly, offering her a faint smirk.

"I think I'll save some for future dates," he told her with a sly grin, lifting his glass to his lips and swiftly sipping a large mouthful.

Hope snorted, and then surprised herself with a very uncharacteristic giggle. She abruptly shut her mouth, eyes widening, brows furrowing at her own behaviour. He'd caught her off guard, sure Hope laughed, and she laughed a lot, she could find enjoyment in anything, but she never giggled. On more than one occasion she'd felt an urge to punch Elena in the face for that high pitched giggle she liked to let loose around Stefan and Damon. Hope narrowed her eyes and cursed at herself internally, and then, upon remembering she had company, got over it, and looked up to meet Wyatt's gaze with a polite smile,

"You asshole. You made me giggle." She accused, putting a despairing hand to her cheek and leaning her head on it, her elbow propped up on her thigh. Wyatt looked down at her and leaned forward, leveling their eyes as he smirked broadly and unashamedly.

"What a crime," he drawled sarcastically, eyes glinting with mirth. Wyatt arched an eyebrow at her, leaning casually as he looked over her features, smirk slowly slipping into a grin as he awaited something more from her, curious about her. Hope gave him a hard, yet reluctantly playful glare, a small smile creeping up on her as she imitated him, leaning further forward and closing the distance between them further. She refused to blink, placing her hands lightly on the sofa beneath her to keep herself steady,

"You want future dates?" She questioned, her eyes shifting between his, finding it hard not to get pulled in and consumed by them. Wyatt glanced at her eyes, down to her lips, then back again, very much aware of their close proximity. He nodded slowly, shifting a little in his place, refusing to back down.

"Yes," he said determinedly. "I want future dates."

Hope snickered to herself quietly, giving him a half roll of her eyes, she'd practically been able to predict that reaction from him, she deliberately bit down on her lip, her brows furrowing slightly, she ducked her head a tiny bit,

"Do you have any plans for these future dates you desire?" She questioned, keeping her tone nonchalant, trying to appear uninterested.

Wyatt scowled faintly, though couldn't keep the smirk off of his face. He tilted his head a little, eyes darting up and down a little, taking in her mannerisms and facial expressions before he looked into her eyes once more.

"Perhaps," he told her evasively, biting down on his lip to prevent a grin appearing. Hope growled almost unnoticeably and gritted her teeth in annoyance, she glared more forcefully at him and narrowed her eyes further, she leaned even closer, looking directly into his eyes,

"And what's your aim, here? You want me to agree to a second date?" She murmured, an intensity in her eyes. Wyatt let his gaze drop down to her lips pointedly, before he looked back up at her, an intensity in his own eyes that matched hers, blood spiking with the adrenaline that came with the feeling of being challenged.

"Something like that," he drawled. Hope grinned a little darkly, cocking her head at him and raising her eyebrows infinitesimally. She returned the favour and allowed herself to turn her attention to his lips, making her gaze linger before returning nonchalantly back to his eyes,

"Well, I'll have to think about it..." She teased, her stare unforgiving.

Wyatt clenched his jaw momentarily, eyes narrowed, before he slowly relaxed his muscles and cocked his head to the side a little, gaze challenging as he eyed Hope.

"Perhaps I can persuade you," he said quietly, before bringing a hand up to cup her jaw, thumb sweeping delicately over her cheekbone as he leaned forward and brushed their lips, a silent request for permission. Hope's breath caught in her throat as he leaned towards her, and allowed her eyes to flutter shut of their own accord, a crease appearing in her brow as their lips made initial contact. She replied simply by bringing her arms up to wrap loosely around his neck, giving him explicit permission. Wyatt smiled a little against her lips before applying more pressure and kissing her softly, his other hand coming to rest at her hip. He traced the curve of her jawline with his thumb, taking her bottom lip between his. Hope brought her fingers up to tangle them gently in his short hair on the back of his neck, tilting her head for better access. She knew that her heart was probably going a mile a minute, but was way too distracted to try and even it out. Hope vaguely realised that this would be the third kiss she had received in her lifetime, something she blamed entirely on Rebekah, and her passion for chasing away her possible suitors. She decided she was going to push those thoughts out of her mind, and enjoy the moment while she was living in it. Wyatt shifted a little in his place, lifting Hope onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist loosely, fingertips playing with the hem of her t-shirt idly as he tilted his head up into the kiss, accommodating to the new angle. He shivered lightly at the trace of her fingertips over the hair at his nape, lightly nipping her bottom lip in a playful gesture, smoothing a palm up along her back in a slow caress. Hope resisted the urge to moan, or sigh, whenever she was allowed a breath. She quickly adjusted to the new position, imitating him and smiling into the kiss, she attempted a little nip on his lower lip but due to her inexperience in the whole kissing department, she failed miserably and abruptly broke the kiss, breaking into a fit of laughter. She shook her head sadly,

"I am so sorry." She gasped out, clutching onto his shoulders to keep herself on his lap.

Wyatt let out a small laugh, tucking his face into her neck, shaking his head a little, grinning.

"I'm not sure what happened, but apology accepted?" He chuckled, tone questioning. He hadn't been aware of anything going wrong, but even so. He trailed his fingers along the bumps and curves of her spine lightly as she laughed against him, a smile on his face. Hope shuddered lightly at his touch, as it synchronised with his breath fanning over the heat of her neck, she squirmed a little and craned her neck awkwardly to press a brief kiss to his forehead,

"I'm not very experienced with the whole kissing thing, and you're just..." She sighed with an shy smile on her face, a light blush appearing on her cheeks, "Amazing." She confessed, refusing to look at him, a little breathless, the volume of her voice dropping. Wyatt glanced up at her, eyebrows raising, a small smirk on his face as he listened to her.

"Oh?" He questioned, tone slightly teasing. "Well thank you," he grinned, nodding once with pursed lips. "I'm sure, if you'll allow me, you'll have plenty of experience soon," he commented, an almost unnoticeable, silent laugh that shook his shoulders breaking out behind the small smile on his face as he ducked his head in amusement, an affectionate note to his expression. Hope chuckled, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner, smirking knowingly. She patted his shoulder and deliberately avoided his gaze, knewing the intensity would melt her, and cause her to completely lose her cool,

"What if I don't allow you?" She asked teasingly, a threat of no kisses heavily implied. Hope smiled casually, innocently making brief eye contact with him as she spoke, and then turned her attention swiftly away, just as quickly.

Wyatt let his gaze roam over her, teeth coming down to bite at his bottom lip, habits making themselves known again; he shook his head a little, a husky chuckle escaping his throat as he rolled his eyes. Expression sobering, he placed the tips of his fingers at her chin and tilted her head so she'd be looking at him, letting his gaze meets her, an intensity in his eyes as he spoke, head tilted.

"That would be an awful shame," he told her sincerely, voice low. Hope huffed awkwardly, scowling at him for trumping her immediately, she crossed her arms and sighed again, louder,

"Damn it, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep that up. You're just too good." She grumbled, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes at him, she hated to be so weak to the powers of men, and she never usually was, but this one was different. He brought out a confidence and independence in her that she hadn't seen in her character for the longest time. She didn't want him to know how much he affected her already, so she threw her hands up in an exasperated gesture, trying to maintain her irritated facade. Wyatt found himself laughing, and hid his face in her shoulder in an attempt to stifle and end the sound. He hadn't laughed so many times in one night since he was twenty-one - back when he actually was twenty-one. He wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with someone being able to do that to him, to bring to light the less psychotic parts of him, the softer parts that'd somehow preserved themselves from his youth that were so deeply repressed they felt like they were separate from him. He licked his lips, brow furrowed, but decided he'd allow himself tonight. It was the alcohol, that was all. Sniffing, he pulled back a little and glanced up at her, smirk back on his face.

"I enjoy the advantage," he hummed.

Hope groaned, rolling her eyes, unfolding her arms and placing a hand on either side of his face, cupping his cheeks and moving his face so that she could scowl directly into his eyes,

"You're so smug. So very smug." She scolded him, and then fidgeted about, trying to unentangle herself from him, rolling off of his lap and standing up, taking a casual stance,

"You want dessert? We skipped it at the restaurant." She asked, abruptly changing the current topic, sticking a hand in her pocket as she did so. Wyatt let out a small laugh and watched her as she manouvered herself, shaking his head a little with amusement. He stood up also, picking up his glass from the table and promptly taking a sip of his drink, shrugging mildly as she asked her question.

"Sure, I guess," he smiled at her, placing his drink down once more and tucking his hands into his back pockets. Hope hesitated, it was something she had asked when put on the spot, it had just been something to say to fill the silence. She quickly thought through the inventory of the fridge and remembered, much to her relief, the tiramisu she had bought, and offered Wyatt a small, grabbing his hand gently and leading him with her through to the kitchen. Hope made sure to keep her grip loose, so that he had the option to let go, if he was uncomfortable. Wyatt glanced down at their hands, looking at them before lightly tangling their fingers together. He smiled faintly and easily followed behind her, feeling fairly relaxed in her company right now. He eyed the dessert in her hand with vague amusement, noting how her heartbeat had picked up slightly with nerves when he'd agreed to dessert. However, he made no comment.

Hope took his reaction to the dessert as approval, and she let go of his hand to go and fetch the bowls, and a couple of spoons. She set them down on the side along with a serving spoon, moving over to the table to set two placemats and then blurring out of the room, grabbing a candle and a lighter from upstairs, appearing once again by the table, she took a moment to wink at Wyatt before lighting the candle, setting it in the centre of the table. She scooped up the bowls and spoons, placing them in their respective places, and taking a seat. Wyatt took a seat at the table as Hope arranged and gathered everything, unable to help the exasperated laugh that escaped him as he shook his head and sighed, closing his eyes and resting an elbow on the table, propping it up and letting his head fall into his hand, amused and disbelieving as she winked at him, lighting the candle.

"Oh, wow," he mumbled under his breath, a small chuckle shaking his shoulders. With a huff, he lifted his head again and arched an eyebrow at her, tilting his head with a smirk, giving her a pointed look. Hope smiled back at him, a little smugly. She shrugged disinterestedly to communicate that the presence of the candle didn't have to be a bad thing,

"Mood lighting, my friend. It's like we never left the restaurant." She chuckled and grabbed the serving spoon, holding a hand out towards him for his bowl, she made grabby hands once or twice as she waited. Wyatt shook his head with a little laugh and took the spoon, giving her a chirpy, "Thank youuu," before pushing it into his dessert with a small huff. He glanced up at her, a smile still on his face. He was almost - almost - annoyed at how he couldn't seem to wipe the grin off of his features. Okay, no, he was annoyed; but it didn't manage to spoil his mood or even matter that much to him in that moment. Hope raised an eyebrow at him, and then dug into her own portion, avoiding the urge to watch him as he ate, and focused on the painting that hung parallel to her on the wall. It was very Rebekah, and although Hope had at first been adamant that she hated it, she had come to tolerate it over time.

Wyatt spooned a mouthful of the dessert into his mouth and chewed slowly, glancing up at Hope as he did so. He found himself following her gaze and coming to turn and look at a painting that was hung up on the wall, of which he squinted at with a certain degree of scrutiny. That wasn't very Klaus... in fact, he was surprised he hadn't seen one of Klaus' own works up there. No, it was likely to be the decorative additions of Rebekkah. Hope licked her lips and swallowed, clearing her throat before speaking,

"How well do you know my aunt Rebekah?" She inquired, the thought suddenly coming to her. It was one of the few people they had in common, and something told her that she was the only Mikaelson that Wyatt wouldn't be evasive about when discussing. She watched him and scooped up another spoonful, collecting it delicately off the spoon. Wyatt glanced over at Hope with a small hum, tilting his head for a moment as he looked off to the space beside her in thought before returning his gaze to her once more.

"I know her... better than I know Finn and Kol, not as well as I know Klaus and Elijah. She can be a real bitch, as I'm sure you know, but she's got a good heart underneath it all. She's lovely if you have her trust and don't betray it," Wyatt shrugged, nodding to himself. "I've never betrayed her. Or anyone, actually. I never make promises I can't keep."

Hope nodded in firm agreement, grinning at the perfect depiction of her aunt. She brought her hands up to clap,

"Couldn't have said it better myself." She laughed, and ate the excess tiramisu off her spoon before continuing, "I kind of already knew you were like that, to be honest, and I didn't get that from being inside your head. I didn't need that to know this particular quality you have." She smiled indulgently over to him before switched her stare to the vase of flowers to her right. She frowned at the fact that they were clearly dead, she shook her head disapprovingly and slid her chair out, letting her spoon fall, as she went to pick the vase up instead, gliding swiftly over to the counter to fix the problem. Wyatt glanced at Hope, looking her in the eyes as she spoke, a sincerity to his expression that almost made it look open - but only almost. He nodded slightly as she gave her agreement, faintly awed by her perception and the fact that she actually trusted his testament straight off the bat rather than questioning him and insisting proof. He was caught off guard by her sudden movement towards the vase on the counter, and couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as he saw her beginning to fix whatever she thought was wrong. Of course she was that kind of woman. Hope looked over at him sharply when he chuckled, narrowing her eyes challengingly. She immediately went back to trying to pick out the dead flowers among the bunch, she shook her head sadly,

"You are all weak, your bloodline is weak and shall not survive the winter." She informed the growing collection of dead flowers laid out next to the vase. She finished up and brought the vase with her back to her seat, placing it down at the same time as she sat,

"Sorry about that." She addressed Wyatt, picking up her spoon, "It needed to be done."

Wyatt snorted at Hope - quite loudly, actually - and shook his head, beginning to laugh uncontrollably, burying his face into his hands and shaking his head vehemently.

"What in God's name?" He questioned her, barely getting the words out in a coherent manner due to the snorts and borderline cackles escaping his mouth in volleys. He sighed heavily, taking a breath and trying to collect himself. "I cannot believe you just said that," he huffed, eyeing her with slightly wet eyes. Hope blinked at him, the spoon halfway to her mouth, she raised her eyebrows in surprise, an infectious and ridiculously wide smile forming immediately on her face,

"I kid you not, Rebekah said that once to a boy who was trying to get her permission to date me. He had messed up pretty badly and she just sat there, dead serious, and said that to him. I had to leave to go and laugh in the kitchen." She laughed fondly at the memory.

Wyatt shook his head with a small sigh, looking at Hope with a fond sort of amusement. He nodded a little, licking his lips.

"Mm," he said, "yeah, I can see that. Sounds exactly like something she'd say, to be honest." He bit his lip as he glanced off to the side, pondering on the image. Of all the years he'd known Rebekkah, Wyatt could most definitely imagine her saying such a thing. Gosh, how long had it been since he'd met her now? Almost definitely over a century. Actually, yes. Definitely. He'd first encountered her sometime in 1912, he thought. Time sure did feel timeless when you literally had all the time in the world. What a blessed curse. Hope watched him curiously, Wyatt's face could be exceedingly expressive when he didn't keep it in check. She smiled faintly as she watched him, a smile that faded almost as quickly as it had come on as the next thought she had came to her,

"I probably won't see her for a while, if she goes. I'll be without her for the first time in twenty years... that's crazy." She frowned down at her tiramisu, pushing it around in the bowl with her spoon, before scooping up the last bit and eating it. Wyatt glanced up at Hope, pulled out of his thoughts, and he nodded slowly, watching her face and the emotions that played themselves upon her expression.

"You can be awfully expressive too," he informed her, having heard her thoughts unintentionally. He shifted a little on his seat and tilted his head to one side, moving on from that. "Sometimes freedom is worth the price of losing someone close to us," he told her surely. Hope glanced up from her now empty bowl with a confused frown on her face,

"Did I say that out loud?" She questioned, the pitch of her voice a little higher than usual. She screwed her mouth up and her confused frown deepened as she looked away from him to ponder over whether she had, replaying the conversation quickly in her head.

Wyatt realised his mistake as she asked that question, and immediately nodded his head.

"Mumbled it," he told her, smiling easily. She didn't have to know that particular quality about him just yet, after all. He wasn't one to reveal all his cards in the first round, not by a long shot. He preferred the long game. Hope nodded slowly, unconvinced, but trusting his word on it anyway. She doubted he would do anything that wasn't in her best interest. She shrugged and decided he may be right, and that she had mumbled it,

"I probably do, that happens to me a lot. Oh well, what shall we do now?" She questioned casually, not realising the implied meaning in her words seconds later, even though she hadn't intended for them to be there, it was a bit late now,

"I mean, uh... Not.." She sighed, pressing a hand to her cheek in embarrassment. Wyatt arched his eyebrows, glancing at her with a vaguely confused expression. He hadn't picked up on anything beyond her question, and he tilted his head, brow furrowing as he squinted at her.

"What's up?" He asked slowly, suspicious of her all of a sudden. Hope shook her head eagerly, realising she had just done a complete Rebekah. Wyatt was a gentlemen, and obviously wouldn't have read between the lines,

"Nothing, my mistake." She grabbed her bowl and headed for the sink. Wyatt arched an eyebrow, giving her a dubious look, but simply shrugged it off and nodded a little.

"Alright then," he said, clearing his throat.

Hope coughed lightly, placing her bowl to the right of the sink, she would do the washing up later. She spun round to face Wyatt, tucking her hands neatly into the back pockets of her jeans,

"Have you had enough of my company for one night, or do you want to stay a bit longer?" She asked bravely, something she was getting a lot better at doing. Speaking her mind. Wyatt pushed his chair back and stood up, glancing at the clock on the wall, eyebrows lifting in surprise. He hadn't even noticed the hours slip by, but already it was half past one in the morning. With a contemplative hum, his eyebrows furrowed and he looked down at Hope, licking his lips. He nodded a little, arching a single eyebrow in question.

"I'm good with whatever you want," he told her. "This is, after all, your place of residence, and it's pretty late - so it's your choice."

Hope wriggled her nose a little as she thought, one of those mannerisms that were prominent, but were something she never noticed herself doing,

"I don't know. I mean, I do know that I want you to stay, but I don't know what we could do." She tapped her chin lightly with her index finger. Wyatt nodded his head a little, a small smirk creeping its way onto his face.

"I think I'll leave," he told her, not unkindly. "It's been a good night. I'm sure we'll do it again sometime," he said, eyebrows raising as he tilted his head a little to look at her, the smirk on his face more fond than anything as he clasped his wrist in his hand at his front. Hope smiled, nodding in agreement,

"I'll walk you to the door. I'll see you when I see you?" She offered, hugging her torso with her hands.

Wyatt nodded with a small smile, bowing a little as he did so, hands tucking behind his back, before he turned and headed towards the front door. He stopped at the threshold, waiting for her. Hope followed him, she swayed a little as she watched him, heart thumping a little erratically as she caught his gaze,

"Safe journey home." She teased, her voice a little quiet, her laugh a little nervous. Wyatt nodded and leaned down, pressing a light kiss to her lips.

"I'll see you," he said quietly as he straightened up again, flashing her another smile before he turned and left down the driveway. Hope sighed contentedly, leaving her eyes closed for a moment before opening them to watch him walk away, a little dreamily. She turned and closed the door softly behind her.


	2. Two: Alleyway Encounter

Wyatt was at the back end of an alleyway between two clubs, he and his victim shrouded by darkness. He stared at the man, looking him up and down, before the vein-like trickles of black appeared beneath his skin - the universal indication of an angry and/or hungry vampire.

"You're of no use to me," he growled, before lunging forward and tearing into the man's throat. He sunk his fangs deep into the victim's jugular and drained him to the point of death, and finished him off with a swift snare of his teeth that snapped his head clean off. Hope ran a hand tiredly through her hair, rummaging through her bag for a hair band, but failing to find one. She'd reached the most dangerous part of her journey, well, not for her. But the area was shady. She cocked her head, as well as an eyebrow at the obnoxious neon signs on the two clubs, remembering vaguely the time Rebekah had made her go. The one on the left had been slightly less shady, but it was still a horrible experience. Hope smirked a little to herself upon remembering she'd broken one guy's arm for trying to feel her up. Oops? It was at that point when she smelt the blood, a second or two later, she heard the sound of a body hitting the floor, and the telltale sound of a familiar heartbeat. She frowned curiously and ventured towards the scene. Wyatt let the man fall from his grasp and stepped back as the body and its detached head landed on the ground with a dull thud that resonated slightly between the cold, hard brick walls of the alleyway. He cleared his throat a little and licked the rest of the blood away from his lips, wiping the back of his hand across his chin to collect the dribbled mess of the warm liquid and have it pool on his skin, then proceeded to suck it up into his mouth and swallow it down. Rubbing his sleeve across the lower half of his face, he sniffed harshly and let out a slow huff of air, cheeks puffing up a little and lips pursing with the lazy force of it, and nodded to himself.

"Right then," he muttered under his breath. "Well. Okay."

Hope frowned, she had to swerve around a passerby who hadn't been bothered to move out of the way to allow her room. She determined that the things she'd smelt and heard had originated from that dark and dingy alleyway between the two clubs. Here came that irrational fear again, just like when Wyatt had been talking to her in the grill the day they'd first met. Hope straightened her posture out and moved towards the alleyway, treading softly. Wyatt slowly stepped over the body and glanced around, before hauling it upright and shoving its head under its shirt for somewhere to keep it in place so he could move the two assets as one piece - luckily, the guy's shirt was tight enough to it to stay put with Wyatt having to hold it there. He dragged the body with him and manouvered it into a position where no one, should they see him, would be able to tell that the body was headless. Just a drunk friend passed out, it'd seem. Wyatt had a clear view of the woods, which was where he intended to dump the body. Hope licked her lips, her almost silent breathing a little ragged, she stepped into the alleyway, immediately sensing that someone else was there. She squinted into the darkness, and easily picked out the back of someone, and a second person who was... passed out? Nearby. The smell of blood was almost overwhelming this close, and Hope decided that the body on the floor wasn't breathing. There was no heartbeat, either. So, dead. She leaned forward a little, frowning as she concentrated on the figure that was standing, shrowded in the shadows, like an invisibility cloak. There was something about them that rang true to her, and there was this nagging sensation of recognition that persisted.

Wyatt glanced around before taking off into the woods at his full speed, landing in the middle of them where he dropped the body and began to dig into the earth with his bare hands using supernatural speed and strength, digging a more than a good six feet into it. With a huff, he finally stopped once he'd begun to reach thick cords of tree roots, and jumped up out of the grave. Hope blinked at the sight of... Stefan? Wyatt? Jumping out of the hole he'd just dug. No, it was a grave. For the corpse. She leaned against the tree she had followed him up until, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her eyes on the figure in the near distance. Hope was unsure of how she should feel. Sure, her own father was a raging psychopath who murdered people savagely if they displeased him, but that was one thing. Seeing Stefan or Wyatt do it? It was... unsettling. She wasn't sure why. Wyatt grabbed the body and its head rolled out from under the shirt. He eyed it as it wobbled on the edge of the grave, shrugging with pursed lips.

"Whoops," he chirped nonchalantly, kicking it so it fell into the grave before he threw the body in carelessly and began shoveling the dirt back into the ground until the hole was filled. He patted it down and then scattered some leaves, twigs and stray grass bits over it. Once finished, he knelt at its side and lifted a cross from inside his shirt, pressing a kiss to the Jesus that rested on its crucifix, before making the sign of the cross and smirking. Hope had been so invested in what was happening over by the newly dug grave, that she hadn't noticed herself getting closer. When she pulled herself back to reality she was standing a minimal bit away from Stefan/Wyatt. She considered going back, and then decided she was just too insanely curious and confused. After spending twenty years asking questions and receiving either evasive or refusals, whenever she could get a question or curiosity answered, she went straight for it. No more being kept in the dark. Hope steeled herself and cleared her throat, quietly, but loud enough that she knew it would garner his attention. Wyatt had sensed her getting closer but not moved. He was down on one knee, arm crossed over the knee that was propped up and leaning. Slowly, he tilted his head upwards, gaze forward, before he turned and looked up at Hope with a blank expression.

"Hope," he greeted her quietly, eyebrows raising up ever-so-slightly as he looked at her. He tucked the cross back into his t-shirt with deft fingers, a rhythmic flow to them as they fluttered over the hem of his t-shirt as the crucifix slipped down against his cold, smooth chest once more.

Hope nodded at him, eyes widened marginally, gaze flickering over his attire,

"Wyatt. I had a feeling it would be you." She greeted, her tone even, and relatively calm. She kept her gaze fixed on him, and never let it stray to the grave. She worried about how calm she was, was she in shock? Had she been desensitised to this kind of thing after being around Klaus all the time? Hope considered that she may be in denial, but then immediately disregarded the thought. Wyatt had warned her about this, she'd already accepted it. Wyatt slowly stood up and tucked his hands into his pockets. There was a dried smear of blood at the corner of his mouth that extended to the line of his jaw, and he tilted his head somewhat as he looked at Hope with a mixture of curiosity and expectancy.

"Hello..." He said, arching his eyebrow. He turned around so his body was positioned towards her, and lifted his hands from his pockets so he could cross his arms over his chest as he waited for her to continue. There was clearly something up. He took a breath then sighed. Hope raised her eyebrows right back at him,

"Whatcha doing out here?" She asked, wanting to give him the opportunity to be upfront and honest, and partly wanting to see how he would react. She'd heard about Wyatt being like this from her father, and even from Wyatt himself, but had never seen it in a real life setting. She felt this uncomfortable feeling of detachment from this Wyatt, it was like his humanity was off. Wyatt glanced at the grave, then looked back at Hope with a pointed arch of his eyebrow.

"I buried somebody," he told her simply, nose scrunching a little. He sighed softly and kicked some more dirt over the top of the grave as he looked at Hope. He had a feeling she might have been shocked, or something along those lines; but he felt like he'd given her fair warning, and so he simply waited for her to carry on once again. Hope sighed, nodding grimly and massaging her temple. She suddenly felt nauseous, and ducked her head at Wyatt politely, before turning and walking back the way she'd came, picking up her bag from where she had left it, leaning against the tree. She hiked it on over her shoulder, not looking back once. She couldn't quite explain it, but it felt like she was on autopilot mode, something was urgently telling her to get /away/ and wait until Wyatt was back to the version of himself she was used to. But she argued with herself internally, that this was Wyatt, this was who he was and he shouldn't have to change for her. For anyone. She should accept him, and she would. It would just take some getting used to.

Wyatt quickly walked after Hope, sighing heavily. He shook his head a little, a mildly irritated yet also glum expression on his face as he gave chase to her.

"Hope, wait up!" He called after her, catching up to her and falling into step beside her. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, back straight as usual, and tilted his chin up a little, letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"You're... mad, sad, shocked?" He questioned, letting his eyes flicker over to glance at her once, quickly, before averting his gaze ahead of himself again.

Hope shook her head vacantly, still pretty wrapped up in her thoughts,

"None of the above." She replied softly, "I... I'm just not used to it. Wasn't expecting to have to adjust so abruptly today, you know?" She glanced up at him, trying to reinforce her words with small hand gestures as she talked. Hope brought her arms down to her mid torso to hug herself, giving a small shrug as she did so,

"I'm not going to say it's not you, or /that's/ not you, because it is, and you told me it is. I just wasn't ready to have to face it like this. Today." She embellished, "I mean, Klaus is like this constantly. If I can get used to that, I can get used to this?" She started off sounding calm and logical, but then her voice peaked at the end, making it sound like a question. Wyatt nodded slowly, licking his lips as he glanced up at the sky. He hummed in an almost nonchalant manner as he considered this. It hadn't been the reaction he was expecting, that was for sure. He'd expected... well, he didn't know what he was expecting. More shouting? Screaming? Tears? Running? But not the mostly-calm consideration that Hope had regarded him with; he wasn't used to being accepted for who he was, especially by a woman. He remembered all too well the betrayal that had led him into captivity, tortured for years, simply because of who he was, because of /what/ he was.

"I guess you will," he conceded with an even tone. Hope glanced up at him anxiously, screwing up her mouth as she often did when nervous or when contemplating, both of which she was doing currently,

"Are you alright?" She asked, she figured it was a pretty safe question. Her mind started to wonder over who the man was that he had killed and why he had killed him, if he even had a motive to, at all, that is. She detached herself from looking up at Wyatt, as he remained distant and never returned the look, so she looked ahead of them, they were nearing the alleyway again. She stopped walking and turned to face where she knew he would stand, waiting for him to come back.

Wyatt back-stepped so he was next to her again as she stopped walking, and turned to face her. His brow furrowed a little as he glanced down at her, shrugging his shoulders minutely, rocking slightly on his heels, nodding, hands still tucked into his pockets. He appeared casual, though perhaps he was trying a little too hard to keep his cool demeanour.

"I'm fine," he told her easily. "I'm always fine." Whether he actually was fine or not, he didn't know - he never knew. One of the things with emotional repression was that you often couldn't define any one feeling on the rare occasions where you actually felt, unless it was rage. Hope narrowed her eyes at him minutely, investigating the discrepancies within his carefully structured expression. He was swallowing too much, and there was a twitch that occurred occasionally somewhere along his jaw. She sighed lightly, not letting his abrasiveness put her off,

"Surely we're past the whole surface answers? I'm not some friend who's only really asking to make herself look good. I am actually genuinely interested. So talk." Her tone was calm, even, and had a steely undertone to it. Her usually smiley face was grim, set, and hard. Wyatt gave her a mildly surprised look that soon faded once more. Was he really surprised at all? This was Hope, after all. She was proving to be far more intuitive than he'd originally given her credit for. As he looked at her, he felt something shift, almost, inside of him, and he couldn't quite place an adjective to the feel of it. He frowned deeply, staring at her with a new intensity.

"I don't know," he said quietly.

Hope's tense stance relaxed a little, she nodded loosely, licking her lips and glancing at the space behind him before returning her eyes straight back to his,

"How come you're out here?" She asked softly, staring up at him earnestly, almost keenly, as she waited for his reply. Hope could feel the connection being uncovered once more. It was there. She could find it. Wyatt glanced over in the direction of where he'd buried the body, then looked down the alleyway where he'd sunk his fangs into that man's neck and ripped tendons, flesh and veins before eventually snapping his neck easy as a twig. He licked his lips and glanced back at Hope, eyeing her steadily.

"I needed something," he said vaguely, shrugging once again. He almost felt like a child being scrutinized and questioning by a teacher or a parent, and he didn't like the feeling of inferiority that it gave him. He had to be in power. Always. Control or be controlled. That's what he'd learned. Hope felt her expectations for her abilities take a slight drop. It had been there, that vital connection, and then she had lost it, because she'd messed up somewhere. She assessed Wyatt's demeanor, and noticed that he looked slightly different than before, he was defensive, almost. Uneasy. She took a step back to give him some room, and decided to stop with the questions,

"I was, uh, on my way back..." She gestured vaguely in the direction of where she knew the coffee shop to be, "from work." She finished, aware that she was now making small talk. Wyatt simply lifted an eyebrow as she told him this, and tilted his head slightly.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," he told her quietly, shrugging. He seemed to be doing that a lot tonight, just shrugging. Vague gestures. Trying to be nonchalant. Pretend like she hadn't seen him bury somebody, perhaps. "You're an adult, and it's not like it's a crime to be out at half past ten at night," he said with a small nod of his head. Hope blinked, that feeling of her heart dropping hitting her, yet again. She licked her lips and averted her gaze, awkwardly, she didn't know what else there was for her to do. She wasn't sure what else she /could/ do, or how much more she could take. She ached everytime he spoke, his tone and general demeanor was so distant, and emotionless. Hope cleared her throat and glanced down at her bag, gently starting to rummage around for her keys again, as she had been doing before this whole thing had happened,

"Well, if there's nothing else, then I suppose I should be heading home." She saluted him unenthusiastically, and then moved into his space so that she could lean up and kiss his cheek, moving off and towards the alleyway once again.

Wyatt placed his arm in front of her, but his movement hadn't been ungentle in any way. He merely embraced her and pulled her back towards him, steadying her in front of him with his hands on her hips, a touch that was light and delicate so that she could move away if she so pleased to do so.

"I'd like you to stay," he admitted almost silently, tilting his head down to avoid looking at her. He felt weak in his admission, felt weak for wanting her around; but he didn't particularly want to deny himself the comfort of her company. Hope watched him, an almost sad look in her wide eyes. She softened immediately at his admission, and placed a hand on his arm, waiting for him to look at her before speaking,

"Then I'll stay." She assured him, not making it a big deal as she knew it was hard for him to admit that. Hope swiftly tugged her bag off from it's position on her shoulder, and tosssed it towards the tree. Wyatt nodded slightly and slowly stepped forward, bringing them closer. He wanted to bury his face in the crook of her neck and close his eyes, wanted to lean his weight on her and just feel her warmth around him. Being a vampire, he wasn't familiar with warmth. Being who he was, he wasn't familiar with comfort either. But she seemed to offer him both, oddly enough. It was extraordinary, he thought, considering he'd known her for only a couple of weeks. Hope trailed her hands up to his collar, smoothing it out, and watching his reaction experimentally, a non verbal ask for permission. When he didn't seem perturbed by it, she brought her hands up to his face, tracing soothingly along his tensed jaw, and carressing his cheekbone with her thumb. She gave him a small smile, eyes fixed on the places she was trying to smooth out, and take the tension from,

"I never knew there were woods out here." She commented quietly.

Wyatt blinked a little and allowed himself to glance at her, lifting his head. He nodded softly, eyes moving to the side of her to look past her and into the woods. He hummed lightly, licking his lips.

"Yeah. Not as big as Beacon Hills'," he noted in a slow murmur, "but they exist." Looking back at her, he found himself analysing her features closely, looking for any signs of discomfort or unease, but strangely enough he didn't find anything that really stood out. Hope smiled easily, feeling leagues calmer than she had before, it was different when there was the impression that it was just the two of them,

"I'd like to go there some day. Boone goes on and on about it." She allowed a quiet laugh to surpass her lips, shaking her head a little at the thought of Boone preaching about the place. Wyatt nodded his head with a small, faint smile. He glanced at her with a slightly raised brow.

"Yeah, it's a great place to run and be free, in all honesty. A lot of people within the town know about the supernatural and keep it on the hush too, more-so than here, so it's great," he told her, shrugging a little. "You two have met then?" He asked her. Hope nodded nonchalantly, more focused on the three behind her, now, she had turned her whole upper torso to examine it, slightly fascinated by it for some reason,

"He just showed up at the coffee shop, one day. Persistent bastard." She joked the second part, a smile plastered on her face, that was visible even from the angle Wyatt had of it.

Wyatt nodded his head mock-solemnly in agreement, smirking faintly.

"He is, yes, but he's good company," Wyatt said lightly, watching the way the smile spread over her face, beautiful and carefree and mesmerising, and he couldn't help the way his lips tugged up ever so slightly at the corners. Hope got bored with the tree, and decided that it was a fine tree. That was all. She turned back to Wyatt, taken off guard by the sudden beginnings of a smile he had on his face,

"What?" She asked, searching her memory for anything she'd done that could have been amusing, and decided it must have been the jab at Boone. She licked her lips and searched the distance behind him, the trees and the darkness, it was certainly eerie. And yet, she couldn't help wonder what was out there. Wyatt shook his head, smile slipping away once more. He looked behind him, following her gaze into the depths of the woodlands, before he turned back to her and raised his eyebrows in a questioning expression.

"Would you like to go and venture further?" He asked her, voice maintaining that odd note of quietness to it. He licked his lips, taking a deep inhale through his nose as he awaited her response. Hope brought a hand up to rub at the tip of her nose, nodding in synchronisation with the movement, when she was done she looked expectantly up at Wyatt and gestured for him to lead the way. Hope removed herself reluctantly from Wyatt's hold and ventured over to retrieve her bag, hooking it over both shoulders, thumbs in the straps, much like a young child on their first day at school. Wyatt glanced at Hope, watching her as she readied herself, before he turned around and headed off. Briefly, he glanced back over his shoulder at the alleyway where he'd torn off that man's head; his fingers subconsciously found his crucifix, and he toyed with it through his shirt as he looked away from the alleyway and continued on deeper into the woods, not seeming to notice that his fingers were fiddling with the metal and wood.

Hope trudged after him, accelerating her speed through supernatural means a little in order to catch up. She let her hand swinging loosely by her side, allowing him to choose whether he wanted to hold it or not. She wasn't particularly focused on anything like that, the forest and the enveloping night captivated her, her eyes allowing her to see without a light source. Hope's sudden appearance beside him had Wyatt's hand falling to his side, her proximity snapping him into awareness. He turned and glanced down at her, freely observing the rhythm of her walk and the various facial expressions she made as they strolled through the woodlands. Her eyes had an almost cat-like shine to them in the dark - perhaps it was a supernatural thing; he'd never really paid attention to anyone's eyes before, so he wouldn't know. It was most likely a wolf thing, now that he thought about it. Wolves were blessed with better sight during the night. Hope paused, watching a badger take a few moments to stare at her before moving off into a bush, she grinned and saluted in the direction the badger had gone, looking up at Wyatt to tell him of the encounter, and found he was already watching her. She blushed a little, grateful that it was dark, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, another telltale mannerism that occurred when she was anxious. Wyatt watched the nervous way Hope tucked her hair behind her ear and licked his lips, ducking his head with a small frown. He cleared his throat faintly and huffed, swallowing. A small tick went off in the clenched muscle of his jaw a couple of times as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, fingers clenched into tights fists. He sighed a little heavily and kicked at the ground absently before diverting their course more to the right, going more into the centre of the woods.


	3. Three: Dinner

Klaus had been waiting all day for this moment to finally arrive where he could finally reunite with his old friend Wyatt. He hadn't seen Hope at all that day and it was quite better that way due to the fact he had been rambling on in his head about what Wyatt could possibly want with Hope. Although Klaus had only been present in Hope's life recently, at no fault of his own of course, that was still his little girl, he didn't appreciate nor would allow an ancient grudge getting in the way of a happy Hope and a stable relationship between the two. Was Klaus overthinking this once more? No, he's Niklaus Mikaelson, he doesn't overthink things, he had just been spending too much time with Hope; she had been blurring his psychopathic lines. He sat down at the table that had been filled with food, although to be honest we all know they didn't need to eat, and one of his little vampire slaves had stood in the doorway of the dining room, informing him that the pair had arrived. Hope exhaled, almost at the point of shaking with nerves. This was probably the most terrifying and high pressure thing she had ever done, and that was really saying something. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans for the third time since they'd walked through the front door, and started to play with a strand of her hair, twirling it up and then letting it go, getting started on a small plait, but immediately messing it up, and letting the hair go. She was a big ball of nerves, these were the two most important men in her life at the moment, and this was either going to go in a very upward direction, or come crashing violently to the ground. There was no inbetween here. Hope ventured into the dining room, peering around the corner to catch sight of her father, giving him a customary smile. Wyatt, on the other hand, was as cool and collected as ever. He calmly strolled into the dining room behind Hope with his hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket casually, arms loose. His attire was respectably casual, but smart: a black button up shirt with some dark denim designer jeans and a pair of polished leather lace-ups on his feet. It was impossible for him to stop the way the corners of his lips began to tug up into the beginnings of a smile once his eyes landed on his old friend, Klaus. Sure, Wyatt was a little miffed about the whole compulsion thing, but he'd deal with that another time. Right now, he was just delighted to set eyes on his friend of over a century.

As soon as his eyes landed on his daughter they jumped over to Wyatt and he couldn't help but stand and let out a small laugh. Wyatt and Klaus had a history too complex for any high school textbook or history nerd to ever comprehend. That is what made this whole situation between Wyatt and Hope unreal to him and more than anything; suspicious. Before he walked over to Wyatt, he let himself trail over to Hope first, the laughter toning down before it came to a complete stop. His stride were smooth and easy as he made his way over to Hope, wrapping one arm around his shoulder, giving her a slight kiss on the forehead, "Hello, darling, you hungry?" His eyes met Wyatt's as he held his daughter, hearing her, but not really listening.

Wyatt grinned a little as Klaus began to laugh, the man's apparent amusement seemingly infectious to him. He watched as Klaus made his way over to Hope - his daughter, yes, what a weird thought - and wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her head. It was odd, seeing him behave in such a manner towards family; but then Wyatt had always known that Niklaus only ever wanted family that was loyal to him, and he had a hard time imagining Hope as being anything but exactly that. He arched an eyebrow slightly as Klaus' eyes met his, a reflexive gesture in response to the man paying him attention while he was greeting his daughter - not that he particularly cared nor minded. Hope clutched onto her father a little desperately, his touch instantly comforting her and even calming her to a certain degree. She sighed briefly and nodded, moments after he had pressed a kissed to her forehead,

"Starving." She confessed, an indulgent smile on her face as she watched him, her eyes followed his hard stare, directed at Wyatt. She licked her lips and glanced anxiously between them, "I haven't eaten all day." She spoke up to try and diffuse the tension, are distract either of them, "I anticipated you arranging quite a feast."

Klaus nodded and let go of her and nodded, once again, while gesturing towards the table with a genuine smile, "Only the best for my daughter and an..." He paused and stepped from in-front of Hope and to her side so he was face to face with Wyatt, "Old friend. Can I still call you a friend, Wyatt?" He couldn't choose on whether to hug him or throw him into a wall. Maybe he should just wait for Wyatt to react to his comment and go along with the tone he was setting forth. "I haven't seen you in almost 100 years, we had a good run together. Although we fell out of touch, if you needed me you could've rang," he said with a sarcastic tone dripping from his words, but behind them a bit of truth. Wyatt arched his eyebrows a little in response to Klaus' comment, not at all surprised or unused to his almost sardonic tone.

"Well somebody compelled me," he drawled pointedly, eyebrows raising to emphasise his point, "but yes," he continued, "I still think of you as my friend, Nik." He tilted his head a little as he looked Klaus up and down, the only thing different about him being his style of clothes and the length of his hair. He was also, perhaps, more clean shaven back then - but who knows? Things could sometimes get a little fuzzy. "I have to say, Niklaus," Wyatt commented with a small smirk, teasing, "the new hair is doing you wonders. Those curly locks were definitely not your style."

Hope had been hovering about the table as they talked, accidentally letting out a brief release of surprised laughter at the fact that there were namecards set in certain places. Klaus had been sat at the head of the table, and Wyatt was to his left, while Hope was to his right, she noticed that her chair was closer to his than Wyatt's was on the other side. She pushed at one of the forks that had been laid a little crooked, and then glanced about the table, unsurprised by the array of food and extravagance she was met with. Hope pulled her own chair out, and sat down, the chair was slightly larger than she was, and so her feet dangled off the ground, the top of the chair coming to a stop just above her head. She frowned in annoyance and made an effort to sit up straighter.

"We don't talk about the curly hair," he joked before he crossed his hands over his chest, "And I've seen you've gone for the... What is this called?" He looked at Hope for an answer, making a weird motion towards Wyatt's hair with pursed lips as he though about it for a second, "Quiff? Is that what you guys call it? I think my hair is a bit more professional. I look good," he stated truthfully, posing a fake hurt face. This was going better than he had expected and it was actually pleasing to him. Klaus finally swallowed his pride for a second and just gave Wyatt a "bro" hug, they were once inseparable, compulsion or not. He made himself familiar with the scent of Wyatt, it was new and more strong than it was the last time the pair had crossed each other. He could tell Wyatt went through a lot in the last century.

Wyatt rolled his eyes a little at Klaus' teasing, a small smirk on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," he commented offhandedly, flapping his hand in a dismissive gesture. He would be lying if he said he wasn't caught by surprise when Klaus hugged him, and for a moment he felt himself stiffen up. But then... Yes, Klaus had been the closest thing he'd had to a brother back then. He found himself welcoming the touch, lifting his arms to wrap them around Klaus in return, clapping his hand once on the man's shoulder like he would back have done back then, when it seemed like they'd hug every time they saw each other. He smiled a little to himself, tucking his face into Klaus' shoulder for a brief moment, just to familiarise himself with his scent. Hope had unintentionally been leaning forwards in her oversized chair, watching the exchange. She felt a small smile creep up on her, that quickly turned into a beaming smile, she caught Wyatt's eye as he hugged her father, over his shoulder, and she brought up two thumbs, winking at him. She bit lightly on her lip and then looked away, scooping up her wine glass and taking a sip, setting it down once again and smoothing out her skirt. She felt unbeliveably light and calm, all of a sudden. Hope had hopes for this evening. Wyatt felt Hope's eyes on him and glanced up at her, feeling his smile widen a little. He raised his eyebrows slightly as she looked away and let out a small, amused huff.

Klaus stood back from the hug after a minute, fixing his shirt once more after looking Wyatt over, "Have you lost some weight?" he teased looking over the stature of Wyatt before making his way back over to the table, sitting at one end of it, closest to Hope. It was time to get serious, to play a game of 21 questions even, "Are you all ready?"

Wyatt glanced down at his figure with a small frown, eyeing himself self-consciously. He was fairly certain he'd gained muscle mass, actually. He'd been rather skinny a century ago, but now he was pretty bulky... in a lean way. Lean bulk? Eh, he shook his head a little and glanced up again as Klaus asked if they were ready, and he sighed internally. That could only mean one thing, surely. He nodded his head and took his seat across from Hope, scooting in towards the table almost noiselessly. Hope smiled somewhat knowingly at both of them, picking delicately at her napkin as she had begun to fold it in on itself, starting to create a swan with it. She looked up to her father with an already raised eyebrow,

"I never thought four words could worry me so much. What do you mean?" She asked, with a highly cautious tone. She was extremely suspicious, as she had been sure that her father must have something up his sleeve, ever since he had suggested the dinner. It had been too good to be true, and Hope was now worried that so was this dinner. Wyatt glanced at Hope over the table and caught her eye, sending her a reassuring smile as he placed his hands on the table just before his plate and cutlery. He tilted his head a little, mouthing, "It'll be fine," to her, before he sat a little straighter and set his shoulders back, sighing quietly to himself. He turned to look at Niklaus with an expectant expression on his face, lacing his fingers together.

Klaus let out a loud clap and some of the vampires came out with large silverware, one began to cut the meat, another began to pile up their plates with sides such as mashed potatoes and corn, "Classic Louisianan styled dinner. I thought it was suitable for the setting, was I right?" he asked, even though it was more of a rhetorical question. As the vampires served them he picked up the glass of wine that had just been poured and raised it once they all had a cup, "To a good meal and a peaceful night."

Wyatt's eyebrows arched significantly and he found himself turning to watch the vampire servants with a reluctantly impressed face. Archaic, yes, to have servants, but Wyatt supposed if you called them maids or workers then it sounded far less... capital. It didn't surprise him at all that Klaus would have them in his house, so he simply shrugged a little to himself. He turned to Klaus and picked up his glass as the hybrid did, nodding once and lifting it to join the toast. Hope gave a loud sigh that visibly relieved her, she relaxed a little and forgot to maintain her posture, looking tiny in comparison to the chair once again. She smiled politely at the vampires that served her food, greeting the ones she knew quietly, nodding formally at the one she knew had a thing for her. Hope cleared her throat and fidgeted in her chair a little, eyes flitting from Wyatt, to Klaus, and then down to her food. She decided it was better to just focus on one thing, and so she squinted at the nearest vase of flowers, and then, remembering the necessity for her to be a part of the toast, abruptly scooped up her glass, raising it towards the other two.

Klaus soon brought the glass to his lips and took a sip, his eyes between the... couple? Were they exclusive yet? He was going to take her on a date the last time he had checked, then again, it was out to see the constellations, so Wyatt like now that he had thought about it. Once he finished taking the sip he set it back at the table and let out a loud "Ahh," refreshed noise. He grabbed his knife and fork, cutting up the chicken before him, taking the bite and watched Wyatt with no need of trying to hide it, "So, when did you two meet again?"

Wyatt began to cut into his meat and lightly stabbed it onto his fork along with a vegetable, raising it to his mouth and taking the bite, chewing slowly and steadily, savouring the taste. He glanced up at Niklaus as he asked his question, and took hold of his wine glass, taking a sip to swill down his food before he spoke up.

"About three weeks ago," he told him with a small nod, glancing over at Hope with a small raise of his eyebrow that was vaguely questioning. He felt that it'd been about that long, yes. That seemed right to him. Hope nodded in agreement, confirming his unspoken question,

"Give or take a few days, but who needs technicalities when you're immortal?" She joked, shooting Klaus a happy, if somewhat cheeky grin. She started on her own food, collecting small bits of various foods and eating them, her eyelids fluttered naturally as she examined the room. She never spent much time in the dining room, and she realised in the back of her mind that there was a painting of her on the wall parallel to her. She raised an eyebrow at it's presence. Klaus swallowed it with wide eyes, trying to seem as interested as he possibly could about the topic of their love life, a hand pressing against his cheek with a sarcastic playful look in his eyes, giving an unbelievable scoff, "Three weeks, my god, that's basically forever in immortal time." He gave everyone a smug, almost apologetic look and waved it off with his hand as if it were a visible fly, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, and you two met in Mystic Falls? What would be the chance?"

Wyatt couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips - it was such a him thing of her to say. Perhaps he was rubbing off on her a little, an idea which caused a certain degree of satisfaction to uncoil within him. As Klaus began to speak, he looked over to him and paid him his full attention. He arched his eyebrow a little, a small smirk on his face at Klaus' sarcasm.

"Well I'm just in town for Boone," he told Klaus. "He's a descendant of mine, and yet another doppelganger. Jakobe's actually. Or Damon, my nephew's. Both, I guess." Wyatt shook his head a little with a small sigh, rolling his eyes. "So many," he commented dryly. Hope was still squinting at the now offensive painting of her that was just casually hung on the wall, she hadn't even realised Klaus had been painting it. She scoffed quietly at the painting, tilting her head and frowning as she examined it, she put a self aware hand to cheek, wondering if her cheeks were constantly that rosy colour they had been painted as having in the painting. Hope cleared her throat and turned her head towards her father, waiting until her glanced at her and then held the gaze, she jerked her head unaggressively in the direction of the painting, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I swear your family grows every time your name comes up in conversations of mine," Klaus stated, "You might not have known this, but I've kept some tabs on you over the last century or so. I can't have anyone going rogue now," he teased before taking a bite of the mashed potatoes. They had been whipped quite nicely and tasted better than they had when the vampire who made them came and asked him to taste test them. After he had finished swallowing them he noticed Hope trying to catch his attention, "Wha-" he stopped mid sentence and looked at the painting, "Oh, that? I made that last night when you were sleeping. I needed to pass the time so I wouldn't end up in Japan."

Wyatt shrugged a little with a small chuckle, shaking his head.

"I've not met any family of mine, actually. Not in recent years. I've no idea if they still exist, but there he was," Wyatt answered truthfully. He glanced up at Hope with an arched eyebrow, before turning around and catching sight of the painting. It was Klaus' work, definitely. He turned around to look between the both of them, and couldn't help the startled laugh that escaped him as Klaus so casually remarked about ending up in Japan out of boredom. It was so typical of him, and Wyatt hadn't realised how much he'd missed this blasé man. Hope blinked at him, and then very pointedly rolled her eyes, smacking a hand audibly to her forehead in despair,

"Of course you did." She muttered, an incredulous smirk growing on her face before she frowned again, "Hold on, dude.. I wanted you to go to Japan." She accused, pointing her fork at him, narrowing her eyes. Niklaus took the last bite of mashed potatoes that was on the actual fork, giving Hope a slight "offended" look, "Do you not like it? I can always take it down and redo it if you'd like." He looked it over once more as she continued to talk to him, letting the smile on his face grow, "I said we could go together, we'd talk about it. I had a pretty good time in Mexico, I even brought you a sombrero, be grateful," he joked before turning back to Wyatt, "What have you been up to this last century?"

Wyatt watched their exchange with amusement, looking between the two of them as he ate and drank. They already seemed to have a bond, and it was quite a lovely thing to see, especially when involving someone like Klaus.

At Nik's question, Wyatt felt himself lose his appetite despite only having eaten half of his meal. He frowned and cleared his throat, pushing his plate away a little and sipping his wine.

"I don't think that conversation is entirely appropriate at the dinner table," he said mildly, glancing up at Klaus as various images of torture and death seemed to flash behind his eyes. He shook his head a little with a small sigh, licking his lips.

Hope screwed her mouth up at her father's question, she knew that was a sensitive topic. She watched Wyatt silently, until he looked over to her, upon which she cocked her head and smiled warmly at him, trying to communicate comfort through one look. When he looked away, she decided to change the subject, clapping her hands together lightly,

"Well, I got a promotion yesterday." She announced suddenly, unable to tone down the infectious grin. Klaus tilted his head to the side, it was in his own manner to push and pry beyond anyone's general comfort level, but he didn't really care at this point. He completely ignored the topic Hope was bringing to the table and let his eyes to be fixated on Wyatt, "Why? Some stuff you're not proud of?" He leaned back in his chair and dropped the fork onto the plate, a loud clang following and echoing in the room "Come on, Wyatt, we've all done some things we aren't proud of, none of us would judge you. Promise." he tried to sound as sincere as possible, but being a Mikaelson, it just couldn't rub off the way it as supposed to, only coming off as sadistic and rude, which was just how he wanted it to be. Wyatt sat back with a sigh and looked at Klaus, an unimpressed expression on his face. He licked his lips and rolled his neck and shoulders, cocking his head to one side.

"I've murdered a few people in connection to my brother's death, been betrayed a few times and spent some years being tortured every single day, and I was also trapped in a coffin for some time in which I suffocated, died, revived, and repeated the process for six months. So excuse me, Niklaus, if I don't want to discuss the details over dinner," he said a little snappishly. Hope sighed disappointedly, crossing her arms and leaning back against her chair, hurt to have been ignored in such a way. Thanks to both Klaus and Rebekah's overprotective natures, she hadn't had a dramatic or dangerous life, and so the small things like an unexpected promotion meant a lot to her. It was pretty much the only tie to normality she had left, her job. She resigned herself to being a witness to their bickering. She knew something would go wrong, and she had a feeling it was about to happen right then and there.

Wyatt shook his head a little and looked away from Klaus, giving Hope an apologetic look over the table. He didn't want to argue with his old friend, especially not in front of Hope. He sighed heavily, offering her a weak smile of reassurance. Klaus folded his hands on his lap after crossing his legs, giving Wyatt a squinted look before giving him a warm smile, not having an intention on any emotion, "And that's why we toast to life, because life can be taken from you at any moment." This time he stood once he finished talking and began to walk back and forth, pacing even, "So tell me, how do you feel about my daughter?" He questioned before taking the seat next to Hope.

Hope groaned almost inaudibly, the sound being made background noise as her father's voice took precedence. She rested an elbow on the arm of her chair, and rested her face against her hand, shielding her eyes, sighing and throwing one of her legs over the other. Wyatt glanced at Klaus as he spoke, bobbing his head with in a sardonic fashion with a small eye roll that spoke of disbelief towards Klaus' convenient response to his answer, a small fake smile to accompany the gesture. He glanced up at the man as he rose from his seat, and sighed a little as Klaus asked him how he felt about Hope. Emotions, feelings... they weren't his specialty by any means. In fact, he was rather stunted and inept - any he did feel, he found talking about them made him incredibly uncomfortable. But even still he looked over at Hope, who was hiding her face (an action which had a faint, amused smirk coming onto Wyatt's face), and licked his lips, brow furrowing as he began to speak.

"She's... different. And I like that about her," he glanced up at Klaus, arching an eyebrow, "I'm not particularly willing to wax poetic about your daughter out loud, especially not while you and her are present, but I intend to bring no harm to her, and I'd like to opportunity to see where this goes, because it seems that she's becoming someone of importance to me - and I don't have very many people like that in my life."

Klaus ran his tongue along his teeth, listening to the boy express his feelings as best as he could, and it would actually have touched Klaus' heart if he had actually used it enough to care. Although it seemed otherwise by the way Klaus looked at Wyatt once he finished talking, he was trying to connect to what was running through Wyatt's mind. He too had been in love, once or twice. He also could connect to the feeling of only wanting to keep Hope happy and safe, and that was part of the reason he kept questioning Wyatt's true motives. He turned his attention off to Hope to catch her reaction, letting out a sigh at how poetic he sounded even without trying, "Such a gentleman, as usual."

Hope reluctantly removed her hand, her cheeks a faint pink. She shuffled about to sit up straight in her chair, placing both hands neatly on her lap, she tilted her head up a little, smiling and returning her father's look,

"I'm glad you're so amused by all this." She deadpanned, a heavily sarcastic tone. Hope sighed lightly, once again and leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table and turning her attention to the flowers once again. She pushed at the floor with her feet to move the chair back, maneuvering out and immediately starting to rearrange the flowers. The obvious ways to make improvements had been bugging her, and she put her energy and focus into what she was doing, to distract herself from the stress of this dinner. Wyatt looked back at Klaus and couldn't help himself from sorting through the man's mind, just a little, to gain an idea of the things running through his head. Love? He glanced at Hope, whose cheeks had pinked - an oddly beautiful sight - and licked his lips with a small frown. Love. He didn't even know what that word meant. But maybe, in time. And boy, time was all he had. He glanced back at Klaus once more, eyebrow arching slightly at the comment about him being a gentleman. He dipped his head a little in a halfhearted bow, before glancing back at Hope once more and watching as she busied herself with the flowers, much like she had back at the house on their first date.

Niklaus watched Hope work at the flowers and all that ran through his mind was Rebekah and how everything had to be in a perfect tip top order or she would be annoyed. It was like that way back in the 10th century with her need to have everything the way it is and it seemed by the way Hope was acting it carried its way into the 21st. His attention centered on Wyatt once more and he remembered that look on his face, "Get out of my head, now." Once the comment was made he moved from siting beside his daughter to sitting beside Wyatt in the blink of an eye, scanning over his face for any indication that he had been lying about what he was feeling and or what he was doing here. "I've never pictured you as the type of guy to settle down."

Hope finished up with the flowers, and then changed her mind almost immediately, making a few alterations before forcing herself to put the vase back, otherwise she would have been there all night. She wasn't sure what it was about flower arranging that she found so important and vital, but she had noticed that it was something she always started to do when she was stressed or nervous, and to be honest, it had an odd calming effect on her. Hope returned to her seat, watching the interactions between her father and her... well, whatever Wyatt was to her. She tucked her hair behind her ears, another mannerism she was yet to notice in herself. Wyatt blinked a little and looked back at Klaus with a small, almost apologetic smile, throwing his hands up in surrender. Wyatt turned to look at Klaus as the man took a seat beside him and rested his elbow on the table, leaning slightly and making eye contact with him, eyebrows raised. He listened to him and shrugged a little, looking over Klaus' shoulder at Hope before returning his gaze to the man in front of him once more.

"I've never pictured you as the type of guy to end up with a daughter," he retorted mildly in an apathetic manner, pursing his lips with a small bob of his head as he gave Klaus a pointed look.

"Now that, that was an accident." he said quickly to defend himself with a finger held up in front of his own face while shaking his head, "After a thousands years I've never had a child, what the hell was another drunken one nightstand supposed to do?" He looked over at Hope after he spoke the words, not really thinking when he talked, that's how it always had been between Wyatt and Klaus, just say the first thing that bounced off of the top of their heads, "I didn't mean it in an offensive way towards you or your mother. You're one of the best things to happen to me. Your mother on the other hand? Eh, not so much." Hayley. Ahh. He wondered if Wyatt heard anything about them, "Have you heard anything on the Crescent wolves lately?"

Hope frowned a little at his words, not entirely hurt, or surprised, he'd made it abundantly clear that he hadn't been in a relationship with her mother when she was conceived. She shrugged dispassionately and raised her wine glass to her lips, taking a long sip, setting it back down afterwards, smacking her lips together,

"Oh, what was that?" She slumped in her chair a little, sticking the top half of her hands in her skirt pockets, "Don't worry, I am very much aware I was a mistake. An accident. Freak of nature has been thrown around before..." She mused, trailing off. Wyatt glanced over at Hope as she spoke and sighed a little, eyeing her silently, a small furrow to his brow as it drew down into a frown. He glanced back at Klaus once she was done speaking, and answered his question.

"Nothing," he said quietly, shrugging a little. "Barely even know who they are or what they're about - they're just a name I heard in passing." Question answered, he looked between father and daughter, waiting. Klaus pulled his lips together at the news Wyatt had given him, before moving back to his own chair and grabbing a glass and the pitcher of water, taking a sip once the cup had been filled. The comment Hope had made hadn't fully processed in his mind until he had finished sipping the water which led him to let out an exaggerated sigh before rolling his neck until he was finally facing his daughter, "Don't start this now, Hope," he snapped lightly at her. It wasn't his intention to be aggressive towards her, but there had been a few more important things at hand than the fact she was a bastard child. The tone in the room shifted a bit and everyone was quiet for a moment or two before Klaus finally cleared his throat and began to speak once more, "You're not a freak of nature, love."

Hope matched Wyatt's stare, raising her eyebrows at him and then returning to her wine glass, taking another sip. She patted absentmindedly on her thigh, and then in the next instant, disappeared. Hope reappeared moments later, in the seat on the other side of Wyatt, leaning against him a little, a rubiks cube in her hands, she stuck her tongue out a little in intense concentration, she began to try and solve it, twisting it and realigning the columns and rows expertly. She then looked up at her father as he spoke, she had moved just after he had snapped at her, and in all honesty, she had barely been listening. Hope nodded stiffly at his attempt to reassure her, bringing her eyes back down to the contraption in her hands,

"Thank you." She murmured.

Wyatt blinked a little, a reflex action he seemed to have whenever Hope used her abilities, and almost - almost - startled to find her next to him. He glanced down at the Rubiks cube in her hands and watched as she began to figure it out and fix the colours into their rightful places for the colour sequences to occur. Without really even thinking about the gesture, nor their present company, he absentmindedly put his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him. He found himself intrigued by her degree of skillfulness concerning the little multicoloured cube puzzle. Klaus threw his hands up in defeat, not knowing what he could possibly do to make her believe him, that would just have to wait for another time. His fingertips pounded lightly on the table repeatedly forming a steady beat in which he hummed too. His shoulders grew tight and his eyebrows almost knotted together when Wyatt put his arm around Hope. It felt as if his lips had grown dry as he rubbed them together, this time reaching for the last bit of wine in his cup, sipping it quickly. "Do you two find yourselves becoming serious anytime soon?" he questioned without a thought of how awkward, maybe a bit inappropriate, the question was, although he didn't intend for it to be. Wyatt jerked ever so slightly and found himself being tugged out of his reverie forcefully by Klaus' sudden unprovoked question and looked up at him. He cleared his throat a little, licking his lips; his mouth felt like cotton wool in that instant, for some odd reason that he couldn't seem to decipher. Either way. He looked at Hope for a moment before averting his eyes to Klaus once more, shrugging the shoulder of the arm that wasn't wrapped around her.

"Seeing where it goes," he told Klaus, "as I said earlier."

Hope blinked at her rubiks cube, and then lifted her head to blink at her father, too. She opened her mouth to speak and then let it close again, not knowing what to say. She felt like Wyatt was more in charge of that decision, as she knew what she wanted, but was also aware of Wyatt's past and his trouble with expressing emotions and with intimacy in general, she looked up at Wyatt instinctually as he talked, nodding quietly along with what he was saying,

"It's okay, Dad. We're taking it slow." She mediated. Klaus rested both of his elbows on the table in an impolite manner and placed one of his hands on his chin and only watched. He watched the way Hope moved her eyes back to her rubiks cube and how Wyatt's eyes followed. He rolled up the sleeves to his grey shirt before moving back to his position of his chin on his face. Wyatt and Hope. Hope and Wyatt. It sounded annoying in his head, like a frequent buzzing sound repeating in his ear as he pushed off using the table to lean back in his chair. What was he supposed to say to them? It's not like they would ever listen to him anyway. Did he say something threatening? Did he try and go along with it?

Wyatt looked down at Hope, a look in his eyes that was only just noticeable, something quietly admiring within his gaze, and his thumb brushed lightly over the smooth, bared skin of Hope's shoulder just under the hem of her t-shirt's sleeve. He felt calmer now that she was next to him, more settled inside, and it showed - he visibly relaxed, slumping slightly in his seat, and his neck bent towards her a little bit. He found himself watching her fiddle with the cube once again, something oddly soothing about the repetitive motions of her hands and fingertips, the slide of the cubes, the click of the cogs. Hope gasped upon realising she could have solved it fives moves back, if she had taken an alternative route, she let her head drop back onto Wyatt's arm, groaning, a pained look on her face,

"I know this guy who calls me the rubik's cube whisperer. Now the title is a lie." She shook her head sadly, a tragic expression on her face. Hope scowled fiercely at the unoffensive little cube and started to furiously flick the elements to it about, very swiftly approaching the point where she had almost finished the puzzle. Wyatt arched his eyebrows, a slight smirk on his face, amused, and shrugged a little, giving her shoulders a small, reassuring squeeze.

"S'alright, love," he muttered, tilting his head a little as he glanced down at her. "You're surely better at it than I am," he told her sincerely, one side of his mouth quirking up into a fond smile.

Klaus stood up and began to walk towards the door to the kitchen opening it and looking at Wyatt for a second before darting his eyes towards the kitchen, "A word?" He stood with perfect posture, per usual, and a hard look on his face, he was determined to get the truth out. Despite the fact he felt it in his stomach that they were telling the truth and that Wyatt may actually have real feelings for his daughter, there had to be an ulterior motive, there always had to be. When it came to his daughter, everything was either black or white and he didn't have time to deal with grey area of a boy who probably wanted to hurt Klaus more than actually care for his daughter. Wyatt lifted his head to look up at Klaus. With a sigh, he glanced down at Hope and gave her a look of reassurance before rising from his seat. Like Klaus, he stood tall, back straight and shoulders a firm, broad line. His taller height gave him a feeling of some kind of power in a situation where he knew that, really, he didn't have very much. Strong as he was, Klaus could kill him - and it was within Wyatt's best interests to avoid pissing off his friend to that point. He stepped out from his place at the table and strode over to Klaus, gesturing for him to lead the way.

Hope glanced up, slightly alarmed, she turned her gaze towards her father, watching him, trying to assess his motive, his mindset. He was very hard to read, and Hope did her absolute best to resist the urge to take a peek into his mind. She sighed very audibly, locking eyes with her father and giving him her best imploring look,

"Please, for the love of anything either of you hold sacred, play nice." She begged, a crease in her brow, her lips tugged down at the corners.

"What's your definition of nice?" he questioned, not letting her answer before he walked in front of Wyatt, holding the door open with his foot so it wouldn't slam on Wyatt, although it wouldn't hurt him, to show that he had at least some courtesy and could play nice, even if he chose to play otherwise. Klaus began to flick on a few different things so Hope couldn't focus her hearing too much on them before walking to the middle of the kitchen, his arms crossing over his chest, giving Wyatt the ever so famous Klaus smirk. "How are you, Wyatt? In the most genuine and honest sense; how are you? Its been forever and a day."

Wyatt stepped into the kitchen and strolled down along the length of the island counter 'til he reached the end of it, then swiftly turned on his heels and crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced up at Klaus, who was tapping and flicking things - Wyatt knew what he was trying to do. As Klaus asked how he was, Wyatt sighed and turned to the blender. He flicked its switch on and put the setting to 4, the machinery whirring to life and causing a loud noise that would drown out their voices so Hope wouldn't be able to hear them. With that, he sighed once again and turned to look back at Klaus, shrugging his shoulders as he crossed his arms over his chest, eyebrows raised.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. Hope glared at the door, she heard the flick things on, the volume more than enough to muffle their voices, which annoyed her. Hope sighed, shaking her head at their behaviour, she lifted her hand away from the rubik's cube, with a lazy flick, and at the very moment she did so, all the machinery in the kitchen turned off. She smirked a little to herself, proud of her small victory. Klaus nodded at the noise and even though it gave him a migraine, it would have to do for the time being, "What do you mean you don't know, it's a simple question. It's been a little over a century and you only have that you don't know?" He began to shake his head with a little laugh, he wasn't buying it at all. Even though he seemed that he didn't care, deep down past all the evil, he did genuinely care a bit. This was the man that traveled around the world with Klaus and back. The man who had spent most of the fun memories that Klaus with and he did want to see him happy, but he won't say that out loud. Instead, he will just ask him one last time and expect a more elaborate answer, "How are you?"

Wyatt stared at Klaus for a moment and licked his lips. He blinked a couple of times in rapid succession, a deep frown creeping onto his features as he glanced off to the side, pondering. How was he? Hope had asked him that question last week, and he hadn't known how to answer then either. What an uncomfortable question for a complex man... a complex creature. Sociopath. Monster. Killer. Vampire. So many adjectives; so many nouns. He took a deep breath and looked at Klaus again, lifting his head slightly as his lips parted but no words quite came out. Finally, he settled on repeating himself.

"I don't know."

Hope narrowed her eyes as she listened, neither of them seemed to have noticed the lack of noise that had settled, after she had turned the machinery off, leaving them with no cover. She supposed that must say alot about how intense the atmosphere was in there, and she settled down in her chair, setting the finished rubrik's cube on the dining room table, and crossing her arms over her chest. Klaus had looked at the floor while he waited while Wyatt searched for a response a response and listened one he found he. It had finally processed in his mind that Wyatt had not only been telling the truth, but there was a small strain in his eyes that was hidden past the century that had gone past, "I believe you." It was like Klaus was looking through everything Wyatt had been through without being told once he lookedinto Wyatt's eyes. Once he was going to respond he began to flick at the machinery to try to turn it back on before realizing what Hope had done, jamming all the machinery, "If you'd like to join the conversation, love, just walk in here and face it like a Mikaelson." He half expected her to walk into the room, but he heard her still working at the rubiks cube so who would know. Hope snorted audibly from the other room, she'd started the rubik's cube from the beginning, trying to beat her personal record, she tilted her head up and replied sarcastically,

"Sorry, father dearest, I haven't received either the training or the manual on how to be a Mikaelson. Twenty years wasted, what a heathen I am." She sighed in a mocking dramatic fashion. Smirking to herself, grinning at the rubik's cube as she focused on beating it. Wyatt maintained eye contact with Niklaus as the man stared him down; he didn't back away from it, refused to, and simply held his composure as his old friend's faze bore into his soul. He let out a small breath when Klaus looked away, turning his attention to the blender before addressing Hope. Wyatt hadn't even noticed what she'd done up until that point, and he was a mixture of impressed and irritated: impressed at her abilities, irritated that she'd tried to eavesdrop. Either way, he supposed it mattered not. Nothing had really been said. At Hope's response, he merely arched an eyebrow.

"You love to use that against me, huh? Once more, not my fault," he sang out in a joyous yet annoyed tone before turning his attention back to Wyatt with a shake of the head, "She gets that smart mouth from her mother." Klaus relaxed a bit and let himself lean back against the wall, as he tried to collect his thoughts, what was he to say next? "You're being serious about being with Hope," it was more like he was saying it to him instead of asking, convincing himself more than anything at that point, "And you're not a fool, you know I can kill you." He continued to list off things in his mind not saying them out. He could easily keep them apart, well, maybe not easily, but it was possible, "You must actually care for her."

Hope rolled her eyes, and with another lazy flick of her wrist, the machines all kickstarted and came back to life, giving them back their precious cover. Wyatt eyed Klaus closely as the man spoke, listing off ways and hows and whys, questioning him, and when the man fell quiet Wyatt felt it only right that he knew what Klaus was thinking, since for all he knew it could be various ways and reasons to justify killing a friend. He sorted through the man's head, hearing the ifs and buts, feeling himself stiffen a little at the pondering.

"I do," he answered stonily, looking Klaus dead in the eye. "I do care for her."

Klaus licked his lips slowly, knowing damn well that Wyatt had been going through his mind, that was one thing he couldn't control nor stand that Wyatt had the upper hand in, but for the most part, he had learned to keep his mind blocked off as much as possible. Once Wyatt had spoken again and the machines kicked back on he nodded, "That's my little girl," he whispered, even with the supernatural hearing, it was almost as if Klaus hadn't said it at all, "And I only just got her back into my life."

Hope didn't bother trying to listen to what they were saying in the kitchen, now that she'd used her powers for something, she had this undeniable need to channel the unused energy and potential into something, and so, Hope set her rubik's cube down on the table and headed outside, and onto the porch. She screwed her mouth up, unsure of what she wanted to do, and then she closed her eyes, with a deep exhale, and the autumn leaves that lay in unorganised heaps on the front lawn, rustled. She cracked an eye open, a smile starting to develop on her face. She closed her eye again and concentrated, a small collection of different shades of leaves were suddenly elevated in the air, and shot towards her, and when she opened her eyes, they were floating around her. Hope laughed, eyes bright as she watched the leaves in wonder.

Wyatt sighed a little, pulling out a stool from under the breakfast bar and sitting down on it. He propped his feet up on its rung, knees bent and positioned outward, crossing his arms over his chest as he licked his lips and nodded his head a little before looking up at Klaus.

"There was a time in my life, Niklaus, where you were the closest thing to a brother that I'd had since Jakobe was stolen from me," he said, voice low and sincere as he looked the man in the eye. "And even after, despite so much time apart and despite me knowing what you did to my mind, I still think of you as my truest friend. And your daughter? I neither plan to hurt her nor steal her from you, Nik. I know what family means to you." Wyatt looked Klaus up and down, before looking him in the eye once more. "You honestly doubt that? You think I have an ulterior motive with her?" He cocked his head to the side a little, giving Klaus a look. "Come on, Klaus. I know there's a part of you inside that knows - you know me better than that."

Klaus hated to admit that anyone but himself was right, so he didn't give Wyatt that satisfaction so he just looked away then back at him with a small smirk . It took a second for Klaus to finally relish in the fact that Wyatt and his daughter were to be a couple, or whatever they felt like being, because they were both adults and they both had feelings, despite Wyatt's sociopathic tendencies. Memories began to burn themselves in his mind as he thought about Wyatt's words. When all of his family had turned on him, Wyatt stood by his side and helped him realize what true loyalty was. Wyatt was his right hand man throughout the entire time they had been together, and even a few inbetween moment. And even now after knowing all that Klaus had put him through, he stood bearing his soul. And yet it was still one of the hardest thing for Klaus to repay him that loyalty with a simple agreement. "Okay. I approve. You have to see it from my view, though. I've seen the best of you and the worst of you, and I don't want my daughter to be another body or another one nightstand."

Wyatt watched Klaus as he processed this, and felt himself almost smile at the familiarity of that smirk on his face. He knew that Klaus was most likely calling to mind all of their adventures together, all the things they did, everything they saw, the times they stood by each other. Wyatt licked his lips, tilting his head a little as he watched Niklaus speculatively. As Niklaus began to talk of Wyatt's worst sides, the man himself nodded and ducked his head a little.

"She's not another notch on my bedpost," he said quietly.

Hope brought one of her hands up from her lap until it was level with her shoulder, and began to rotate the index finger, slowly, and as if on cue, the leaves all began to spin at an almost hypnotising rate. She inhaled almost breathlessly, her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes travelled slowly over every single leaf, taking the time to memorise every single detail. It was something beautiful and breathtaking, the late evening rays of sunlight bled dimly through the leaves, illuminating them and adding to the effect of what Hope had performed.

Klaus finally circled round to Wyatt, although Wyatt was taller, he didn't feel a bit intimidated at all. The stare that Klaus was giving Wyatt was one of pure death. He stared him in the eyes, tilting his head back before giving Wyatt a bright smile and extending his arm forward offering his hand. "With this, I give you my word I will not try and come between your relationship with my daughter. You two can handle what you need to do with each other and that will be all. I will watch from the sidelines as long as the pair of you need me to." The words were truthful, despite how much he hated to stand behind and let things unfold, not having a clear cut plan for everything.

Wyatt looked Klaus in the eye then glanced down at the hand being offered towards him, and a small smile made its way onto his face. He extended his arm and clasped Klaus' hand in his, wrapping his fingers around the man's palm, thumb tucking over, and shook the man's hand with a firm, steady grip. His other hand clapped Niklaus' shoulder in a mildly affectionate gesture, the sort you'd give to a close friend or a brother. His brow furrowed a little as he smiled, and he nodded his head once, simply.

Hope brought her other hand up, keeping the other one stubbornly where it was, her hands were now level, and slowly, she turned her hands so that her palms were facing upwards, and pushed upwards, experimentally,

"This is so cliche." She mumbled to herself, smirking, an awed look still firmly imprinted on her features. In synchronisation with her movements, the leaves lifted up so that they were hanging over her head, swirling and dancing slowly, still. She grinned, her lips parting to reveal her teeth as she did so, her neck craned slightly so she could admire them, the light hitting them more effectively.

Klaus threw his other hand onto Wyatt's shoulder, mocking his actions with a nod, and his smile growing more at this sense of familiar actions. Once the moment had seemed over he pulled away from Wyatt and listened to Hope talk to herself outside with his nod turning into a shake. He walked towards the dining room door and into the living room to walk outside, knowing that Wyatt would follow him, "What is she up to?" he asked himself before finally walking outside.

Wyatt sighed a little as Niklaus walked away and scrubbed at his face with his hands, eyes falling shut for a brief moment as he struggled with some kind of tug in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't depict what it was, couldn't define it - an emotion? Some kind of feeling? Who knew. With a huff, he shook his head and stood straighter, following Niklaus out to the front porch.

Klaus placed his hands on his hips and squinted his eyes a bit as he watched Hope continue to play with the leaves and completely ignore them, the smile that was on his face growing into a full on grin. He thought about her as a child playing out in the leaves when they would first fall, and then he began to think about her in the snow and all the snowmen and snowangels he would've made with her.

Wyatt looked at Hope and eyed her as she played about with her magic, using it to manipulate the wind and the leaves. He huffed a little, a small, faint laugh slipping under his breath, and shook his head with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned up against the arch of the porch, kicking his leg out over the other and crossing them both at the ankles as he leaned. He glanced between the father and daughter, watching them with interest. Klaus could be so human, so expressive, when he was unguarded.

Hope was completely unaware that they were now standing behind her, she was too wrapped up in the joy her magic was bringing her, and the absolute raw beauty of nature in that moment. She pulled her hands down in a wave motion, downwards, the leaves flowing downwards and then lifting back up to merge into one cluster. Soon after she pulled her palms apart, the leaves separating and hovering apart once again. She giggled faintly.

Klaus moved hesitantly toward Hope and grabbed one of the leaves that was flying in front of him and he looked over at her to see her smile and how it brought such light to him, it made him feel like he was an actual person with feelings and not some psycho hybrid who had gotten a werewolf pregnant and had a kid. Although, that is what happened. He finally spoke to her after clearing his throat, "We've talked it out, it's fine now. I promise."

Wyatt watched the two interact silently, remaining at his post on the porch. He saw no need, nor felt any desire, to intervene or join them, so he remained where he was, simply watching and listening to the hybrid and his tribrid daughter. He snorted silently, a small thing that shook his shoulder and had him smirking. What a pair they were. Hope glanced at Klaus, shocked out of her reverie, the leaves all dropping to the ground, she looked at them in dismay, a small crease appearing in her brow, which was then immediately smoothed out, and the dismay was replaced by surprise and joy. She took an extended step towards him, her arms out to grab his arms, clutching onto the material as she scoured her father's face for any sign of deception, she found none,

"What are you saying?" She asked, just as breathless as she was when controlling the leaves. Klaus shook his head at how happy and alive his daughter was and how happy and alive it made him feel. Usually he would see this as a sign of weakness, love of any kind only messed with one's mind and his relationships with others. But he didn't care. He pulled her into the hug and held her close, looking at Wyatt as the pair of them hugged before closing his eyes, "If you two would like to date, then do so."

Wyatt nodded his head silently as he looked over at the two of them, a small hum of grateful acknowledgement making itself known. He sighed softly and let his eyes fall shut, tipping his head back to turn his face towards the sunset, just barely feeling its heat on his skin. Sometimes, he wished he could still feel warmth like he had when he was a human; but overall it didn't really matter that much to him. Hope sighed contentedly, squeezing Klaus lightly, turning her head so that her mouth was aligned somewhat with his ear,

"Thank you so much." She whispered to him, a passion and sincerety in her tone that was strictly undeniable.


	4. Four: PTSD

There was a loud crash beside Wyatt that he didn't register, the only evidence that he'd caused the noise being a dull throb in his hand where several large shards of glass were protruding out. He stumbled a little into the fire place - which, fortunately - hadn't been lit. The trouble with PTSD is that during an episode, you're convinced that you're actually there at the scene of the trauma. Wyatt had no idea of the damage he was doing to his home or himself, simply reliving the six-year long torture the woman he'd fallen in love with had handed him over to. What'd brought this on? Perhaps it was his budding relationship with Hope, being so close to another being, a woman, once again. Perhaps he'd started questioning himself, questioning her. All he knew in that moment, however, was pain. It felt like he was there all over again, being force-fed vervain and lashed with saturated whips, being burned and beaten and experimented on. He was choking on the phantom feeling of having spiked chains wrapped around his throat, one of their experiments to see how long it took for a vampire to asphyxiate or bleed out - whichever came first via that method of torture. His lungs felt like they were being clenched in an excruciating vice, and his stomach was on fire, like his organs were liquidizing all over again.

Hope sighed very pointedly at her phone, taking it away from her ear and pressing the end call button, without looking. Voicemail, again. She tossed the phone lamely over her shoulder, and it bounced on the bed, Hope crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to look out of her window, vacantly. There was nothing of interest outside The Mikaelson mansion, and there never was during the daytime. She bit the inside of her cheek, pondering over the steps she could take to reach out to Wyatt, but her father, and Wyatt as well, had warned her to stay away from him, for some reason. Her intuition had brought her to the conclusion that he was struggling with his past, which she respected, and had so far given him space, to deal with his issues. But something that had been nagging at her was how empty the promises she had made to him and to herself felt, her promise to help him, aide him, be there for him. And yet, here she was, steering clear. Hope's mouth set into a grim and determined line, she grabbed her bag, disregarding her phone on the bed, and heading out to the car, on her way to the Salvatore Boarding House.

Klaus had been making a road trip to Wyatt's house to maybe relieve a few good old memories about that one time they had traveled the world in 1890. They had taken the world by storm and it was as if no one could ever stop them. It could also give him a chance to check in on the status of his relationship with his daughter, although he said he wouldn't stick his nose into where it didn't belong he still could check on his good friend. About half a mile off of Wyatt's house noise became more prominent in Klaus' ear, there were people chatting, people having sex and crying, and there was also a crash. He knew that it had to be Wyatt, who else would be this way? He had been aware of the situation that had been eating Wyatt alive, and now he was standing beside Wyatt in his house, not touching him, but watching him more like. Even with all the times he'd seen someone break down like this, he didn't know what to do. "Wyatt," he spoke in the most gentle voice he could possibly provide, his hand fiddling in his pocket to grab his phone to call Hope, but he stopped himself. The situation may upset Hope and then Wyatt would feel bad for upsetting Hope and nothing would get better, so he spoke again, "Can you hear me?"

Wyatt gasped wetly and dry-heaved, doubling over on himself and falling to his knees, smacking his head on the wooden floor hard as his arms clutched desperately at his mid-riff where he felt a convulsing pain tear through him - it was what he imagined somebody opening up your torso and cutting through every organ with a large pair of blunt, rusted sheers, the sort of grit resonating through his body akin to the feel of scissoring raw chicken fillets. He screamed out, the sound echoing throughout the boarding house yet the sound was dull to his own ears. Distantly, he thought he might have heard his name being called; but the sound distorted into a leering taunt, one of the petty jibes. "How does it feel, to be in pain, monster? You put people through this every day to survive. You're sick. You're wrong. Disgusting. You're an abomination."

Hope pulled up, tires screeching dramatically, she dully noted that she could have seen she just reenacted a scene from a movie, but there were more pressing issues at the forefront of her mind, as she tuned in to what was happening. The first thing that hit her was the smell, both Klaus and Wyatt were there, but on top of that, there was something horribly wrong, she could faintly smell vervain, and blood. The second thing to hit her was the deafening sounds coming from inside, there were sounds of things breaking, and the thing that hit her directly, and tore into her, was the unmistakeable sound of Wyatt screaming out in pain. Hope immediately went to blur into the boarding house, but as she was frustrated and horrified to realise, she had not been invited in, and therefore had to resort to knocking furiously on the door, panic bleeding into her motions. Klaus knew that at this point there was no calling Hope, no fast movements at all and definitely no leaving Wyatt to sort this one out on his own. If it were any other person but Wyatt, Klaus would have left already, but this is the person he used to call best friend and now calls good friend. Maybe even still best friend. He wouldn't be able to face any of them if he just left, so he moved to the other side of Wyatt and whispered once more, seeing if he would at least look at him, "Wyatt." His head turned to Hope slowly and he took a deep breath, giving her serious eyes, "Hope, I'm going to need you to listen to me carefully. You need to get in your car and drive home." He didn't know how to explain this episode nor if he should explain it to her, it wasn't his problems to be spreading to her. A switch went off in his mind, remembering the pain Wyatt was causing, before as lowly as humanly possible, he touched Wyatt's arm.

Wyatt, against all odds, began to cry, and eventually his cries turned into something more as he started to sob hysterically. His body wracked with every gasp and he felt as though he were drowning in tears and blood and that fucking vervain, and he clutched desperately for any sort of leverage, for an anchor, anything, just- anything. Tremors had his body quivering erratically in time with the rabbit-quick thump of his fear-spiked pulse. He choked again, curling in on himself, back arching as the image of a thick, twined leather whip decorated with charmed wooden spikes cracked down against his back and dug into his spine, paralyzing him for minutes at a time only for it to happen all over again when his back healed. At Klaus' touch, Wyatt's entire body violently contorted, taking it as a threat, another attack, something he desperately needed to twist himself away from. Everything inside of him was screaming for it to end, for an end or a place to hibernate and heal and never leave again. His body lurched as he vomited a small amount of blood caused by a tear in his throat, consequent of his wailing and retching.

Hope went to lurch forward, but was immediately pushed back by the house, she yelled out in a mixture of rage, panic, and hysteria, she raked her hands through her hair, her eyes fixed on Wyatt, tears already spilling over. She knew she was supposed to be better than this, stronger. And yet, as she had explained to people who'd been interested before, she always found herself reacting to things more than most, as she had grown up completely sheltered from this world, this twisted, horrifying, deathly world, and partially, she was glad. However, in this very moment, the majority of her instincts caused her to spin on her heel, taking herself away from the situation momentarily to sort herself out, knowing this would only cause more stress for Wyatt, something he had just demonstrated in the clearest way possible, that he didn't need, she took a substantial, gasping breath and forced herself to swallow the emotions, tuning herself out from them, and then returning to the doorway, eyeing Niklaus with an intensity she had never felt before,

"What do we do?"

Klaus pulled away from Wyatt, mentally noting that he shouldn't have done that, not at this stage. He felt Hope's presence still outside of the door and then heard her voice speak softly to him. He looked between Wyatt and the door. He knew that she wouldn't leave no matter how hard and how long the two bantered on, yet he struggled not knowing how to get her in here without being let in. A fear came over him for the first time in a long time that he didn't know what to do. If he couldn't get Hope in here he needed to get Wyatt as close to the door as possible because maybe the sound of her voice or the touch of her skin against his could pull him back from whatever was holding him in this place. Niklaus Mikaelson didn't know how to help. The one time he wanted to help he couldn't and it began to frustrate him. He heard Hope crying in his mind and Wyatt crying and throwing up and it became overwhelming, but he knew getting angry would only upset them both more. "Hope, do you think you can get into Wyatt's mind o-or try and use your magic to pull him to you, I don't know-" he rambled quickly to her, catching his breath at the end.

Hope nodded, stiffly, she turned her stare sharply to Wyatt, on the floor, and exhaled softly, a crease remaining in her brow, as she tried to worm her way into his mind. She gasped, and physically recoiled, she almost fell backwards, the things she had seen and the things she had heard within Wyatt's mind, caused her to shake. Hope snapped her eyes back to her father, shaking her head, that option was out. There was no way he would relax enough for her to be able to get into his mind, and so she tried the second option, she took a deep breath to calm herself, counting slowly to ten in her head, and then brought a shaky hand up to, as gently as she could, pull Wyatt towards her, no matter the risk. Her current state meant that she was subconsciously using way more power than was necessary, draining herself, and barely noticing.

Wyatt was clawing at himself, trying to escape his own skin. Fire. This time there was fire. His captors had been fond of fire, too. He remembered, vividly, the flames licking his skin, burning it away, the way his flesh had melted and drooped like slow-burning rubber dripping from a tire in sweltering heat, thick and painful and intense, his entire body feeling like he'd been dipped into the core of the sun. And then, right before he could die (for good), right before it could all end, they'd stop, throw a bucket of water on him, and leave him for hours as his skin slowly knitted itself together, re-grew, reformed, a single cup of blood left at the cell of his door ready for when he could muster the barest needed strength to drag his mutilated almost-corpse to it and swallow it down to speed up the process. It was a cruel irony, really. He couldn't die, and the pain was unbearable, so he had to drink the blood they left to end it. The irony? The sooner he healed, the sooner they begun again. Hope managed to get him to the doorway, but he had to make the rest of the way to her, she licked her lips and tried for calling out to him,

"Wyatt! WYATT! I need you to listen to me, Wyatt. I can make it go away, I can make it stop, I promise, but I need you to work with me here, I need you to make it to just outside of this doorway. Wyatt, can you do that for me?" She called to him, as loud as she could without scaring him. Hope's agonised expression evolved to include the beginnings of despair, and she crouched, leaning towards him as best as she could without overstepping the invisible boundary that separated them. Wyatt's eyes flickered open, but the look inside them was vacant and just... distant, like he wasn't really there at all, an empty shell of a being. He found himself struggling to his knees without really being aware of it, almost like he was attempting an escape, but just as he straightened up, he doubled over once again, face twisting in agony, cheeks shining with sticky tears and sweat, teeth gritting as he wheezed before falling to the ground again. He took a lungful of air, only for his entire chest to feel as though it'd been shredded and he howled out as the fire ripped through his lungs.

Klaus watched as Hope wearied herself in attempt to break Wyatt of this-this panic, pain, horrid remembrance that Wyatt was going through. If he was to touch Wyatt once more it would most likely throw him farther into the episode than he already was and who knows what kind of Wyatt would escape from that level of stress and pain. He knew what he had to do. he had to do it or they would be faced with a Wyatt they didn't know, a Wyatt that no one would be able to control, or no Wyatt at all. At least with no humanity they would be able to anticipate what was to come and Klaus would be able to connect to him on another level and try and snap him back along side with Hope. This next thing would break Hope, and he prayed to a God he never thought existed, unwanted tears streaming down his face in fear that his next action wouldn'tuse his daughter to hate him and to leave. "I'm sorry, Hope," he whispered before looking back over at Wyatt, "Turn it off."

Hope dragged her gaze away from Wyatt, wincing a little, she'd been so wrapped up in Wyatt that she'd forgotten her father was there, upon hearing his words, she blinked, confused,

"What?" She asked initially, wiping her tears away with her sleeve, and frowning, "What are you... Dad? Dad - no. Don't you dare do what I think you're doing." Her voice peaked, she tried once again to pass over the threshold, but was, yet again, unable, she called out desperately to Klaus, "Dad. Please... I'm begging you." She sobbed.

Wyatt had bitten down so hard into his own lip at this point that there was blood gushing all over his mouth and jaw, body trembling and his eyes wide and red-rimmed with his pain. He was unaware of anything going on around him, still utterly locked into his episode, but then there was something, some kind of a tug, that nagged at his chest and mind. He twitched on impulse and found himself staggering to his hands and knees, something inside him just feeling like he had to obey - but obey what? He looked up at Klaus, the most open, vulnerable of expressions on his face, staring yet not really seeing the man. He looked completely and utterly lost, not quite falling under the compulsion but merely suspended in the instant before it. Niklaus looked over at his daughter one last time before turning away. Although he loved his daughter more than anything, this love he had for Wyatt, like he was his younger brother; Family, it was too much for Niklaus to sit here and let him go through this pain. "Turn it off," he spoke once more, seeing that Wyatt had still been a bit still out of it as if he was tugging onto the humanity switch like it was a thread. The tears streamed down his face as Hope continued to beg him to not make Wyatt do it. "Turn it off," he finally yelled at Wyatt, staring him down, using the connection the two had made a hundred years ago as a dominant factor. "Turn it off," he screamed once more, grabbing Wyatt by the back of his shirt and pulling him up so the were eye to eye, not compelling him, but whispering once more now, "It'll be okay, we'll bring you back...Turn it off."

Hope choked out a strangled sob, sagging against the doorframe, clutching at her chest, her head falling back to hit the frame. She trembled and squeezed her eyes shut, she could barely get through to Wyatt when he was in one of his sociopathic moods, how in the world was she supposed to get him to turn his humanity back on? Knowing also that if he did, all the guilt, and everything he'd felt prior, would just come flooding back, and leave him more broken than he already was,

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She choked out, eyes on the floor, nothing vindictive meant behind the words, just quoting something she'd heard.

Wyatt stared back at Klaus, entire focus on the man in front of him; it was almost as if Klaus had become the centre of his universe in that moment, like everything he said, everything he did or asked of him, was what mattered in that moment. He swallowed thickly and nodded a little, taking Klaus' word for truth, obeying him, and found himself searching inside for that switch, that little switch that would turn it all off and end this suffering. He found it. He found it, and flipped it. His head tipped down a little as his entire body seemed to tense up, eyebrows drawn down into a miserable frown, before all of a sudden- it was gone, and all that was left of his pain were the leftover tears staining his lower lids. Klaus felt himself break a little inside as he heard his daughter quote the words she had spoken to him not even a week ago. Although it may seem impossible to snap a vampire back from no humanity, especially a sociopathic one, he vowed he would do it. "I give you my word that I will get you back from this," he paused for a second before Wyatt was completely gone, "Brother." He looked into Wyatt's eyes one last time, seeing that he was completely gone now, nodding his head before he wiped his tears. He could already tell that Wyatt didn't care about what was happening nor what had happened, and Klaus wasn't up for it. Pushing past Wyatt, the hybrid made his way to the door and passed Hope, not even daring to look at her.

Hope swallowed, her eyes staying stubbornly on the ground until her father had passed her, and they very slowly, they trailed up to Wyatt. She used the doorframe for support as she got to her feet, she glanced behind her, spotting Klaus' figure, and turning back, with a heavy sigh, she brought a hand to her temple, massaging it tiredly, hugging her mid torso with her other arm,

"Wyatt?" She asked bravely.

As Klaus pushed past Wyatt, the compulsion set itself in stone; he took a deep inhale, eyes falling shut as every single part of him that was capable of feeling anything, even just something, turned itself off. When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't Wyatt, not really. He was just this: a vampire, an empty shell. At the sound of his name being called, he turned around and glanced at Hope with a blank expression save for the singular arch of his eyebrow.

"Hope," he drawled, voice dead of, well, anything at all, really. He glanced at her frail, worn appearance, before shrugging. "I assume you want to come inside," he commented offhandedly, turning on his heel and heading further into the boarding house. "Well," he said, hand flapping dismissively towards her over his shoulder, "come in."

Wyatt could hear the thoughts buzzing around Hope's brain rapidly, but he had no desire, nor did he care enough, to listen and decipher what she was thinking. Instead, he merely glanced at the mess he'd caused and sighed deeply.

"Well that's gonna take some work," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head a little before turning back around and continuing on his course to the drink's cabinet where he picked out a bottle of strong Bourbon and took a glass from the shelf, filling it halfway.

Hope stopped following him at that point, she glanced sidelong at the mess he'd referenced, her focus mainly on Wyatt... or whoever he was now. She took the initiative to sit down, tucking her legs up, on the sofa, knees raised, arms circled around her legs, she stared stonily at the fireplace, and said nothing. Instead, she waited.

About 4 miles off of the Salvatore house Klaus gripped onto a lamppost and took a few deep breaths, he hadn't been crying or anything, but it had taken a very huge toll on him and he was weary now, feeling as if he had no strength. Once he finally composed himself, he realized what had just happened. No humanity. Wyatt had no humanity and Hope still chose to stay there with him, and he let her. It was as if he was stripped of the tiredness as he flashed to the Salvatore household, standing on the front porch, "Let's go, Hope."

Wyatt moved over to the table near the sofa and set his bottle down, sipping at his Bourbon mildly while leaning up against the back of his sofa. Like this, Wyatt was fairly robotic. The closest you could get to any kind of emotion from him was a certain degree of enjoyment that came from the thrill of a kill, or feeding on somebody, and that was all.

Wyatt glanced up sharply as Klaus suddenly appeared once more in his doorway and tilted his head a little, an eyebrow arched.

"Almost gave me a heart attack there, Nik," he said dryly.

Hope looked over at her father, craning her neck, it was like she had heard him but was incapable of processing anything,

"I..." She shook her head as firmly as she could manage, still feeling incredibly weary after the amount of power she had used, and, she realised, all of that had been for nothing, "Can't." She finished, averting her eyes, her appearance looked as if she had been designed to be the visual aide to the word sad.

At this, Wyatt raised his eyebrows a little, glancing between the father and daughter with a vague sort of secondary interest as he sipped his drink. He looked at Hope, tilting his head a little, eyes flitting over her form, assessing her, before he turned his head and averted his gaze onto Klaus, doing the same. Klaus walked into the house, not meaning to be aggressive with her, but he grabbed at her elbow, shooting her a hard glare, "We're going home, Hope." His lips pressed into a firm line at Wyatt's comments from before. "No mean to cause you a bother," he said sarcastically, his eyebrows pushed together to showcase his annoyed demeanor. Wyatt arched his eyebrows, lips quirking into a slight smirk as he looked back at Klaus, shrugging his shoulders and raising his hands in an idle, mock-surrender, expression entirely apathetic and unapologetic.

"You did this to me," he said, letting his cheeks puff out and his lips purse as he let out a huff. Hope hissed a little at the sudden yanking, a sharp and brief pain shooting up her arm, she let it bleed into a gasp, she furrowed her eyebrows and gazed up at her father in complete shock,

"What are you... Ah!" She had exclaimed upon being yanked upwards, "Dad..." She pleaded, glancing back at Wyatt, and then remembering that for once, he wouldn't step forward to help her.

Klaus's eyebrows dropped back to their normal position, he didn't mean for it to effect him the way it did, but he felt like he had to justify his actions, "What needed to be done was done and that's all I have to say about the subject." He has done a lot in his life, but this one, this was the cherry topping and he hated that it had to be this way. He turned his attention back to Hope now, "We're leaving."


	5. Five: Damon

Wyatt wandered into The Compound with Damon tagging behind him and glanced into the living room where Klaus and Hope were sat. He gestured behind himself towards Damon as he greeted them.

"This would be my nephew," he said, turning to look at him. "Damon Salvatore." He glanced back at Klaus and Hope, looking between the two with arched eyebrows, before wandering over to the sofa and dropping down. "He was quite insistent on meeting you two."

Hope glanced up from her book, and as Wyatt spoke, she began to close it, tucking the corner of the page she was on down as she did so. She set it aside and jumped to her feet, appearing in front of Damon with one hand extended towards him,

"Hope." She greeted, a friendly smile on her face, her head ducked towards him slightly as she glanced down at her hand. Damon hadn't been around much the last month. It was a typical tendency for him; disappearing with no explanation or provocation and then popping up out of the blue when he returned. He had a blank expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest, his arms stretching the fabric of his leather jacket. He gave them a simple bow of his head, a faint smirk on his lips as the seemingly bubbly girl appeared before him. "Right..." He eyed her hand for a moment before slowly reaching out to take her smaller hand in his, kissing the back of her hand before releasing her hand and crossing his arms over his chest again. Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at the two of them, arms crossed over his chest, before looking away again and nodding to himself a little, before he turned and picked up Hope's book, eyeing the title before flipping it over in his hands to read the blurb. It didn't seem all that interesting to him, but he figured Hope would have a different taste in novels than him. Licking his lips, he huffed and placed the book back down again. Hope gave an amused huff, twinned with a half roll of her eyes, she retrieved her hand and moved off to the nearest window, glancing outside briefly,

"Is that something everyone in your family does?" She questioned, her eyebrows raised and her smirk a tad ironic as she looked over at Wyatt pointedly, remembering how he and Boone had also kissed her hand upon meeting her. Hope grinned at him, and then turned to look at Damon with a cocked eyebrow, before returning her attention to the window, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other arm reaching towards the windowsill, where her fingers began to drum an idle pattern. Damon didn't seem to take a moment to relax, his eyes flickering over his surroundings, eying the new place in an almost..paranoid manner. He tended to be on edge whenever he returned from a long trip; well, paranoid or completely apathetic. He sighed softly, not bothering to say anything as he started to wander on his own. He'd inspect everything he past, touch and prod different objects or simply run his fingers over things. He was like a child in a store whose parent would have to constantly tell them not to touch everything on the shelves as they walked down the aisles.

Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at Damon, arching an eyebrow. His nephew, though a cocky, sadistic bastard at times, could be downright twitchy at times. He stood up from his seat on the sofa and moved over to Hope, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple in greeting, eyes never moving from Damon, who was wandering absently as he took in his unfamiliar surroundings. Hope's smile widened a little once Wyatt was with her, her comfort levels rising, and much like Wyatt, she shifted her eyes over to Damon and watched him. She could relate to the curiosity, the need to get to know new surroundings, something she'd always made sure to do whenever she moved into somewhere new with Aunt Rebekah. She screwed her mouth up a little as she watched him, and then licked her lips quickly before speaking,

"Is Stefan here, with you?"

Wyatt was snapped out of observing Damon by Hope's question, and in response he shook his head a little.

"Nah, I don't know where he is today," he told her quietly, giving a small shrug. He slipped around behind her and wrapped his arms more securely around her waist, linking his hands over her stomach and bending down to rest his chin on her shoulder as he eyed Damon some more.

"He's probably dead." Damon muttered, hearing the conversation, though the words had been spoken absentmindedly as he himself hadn't even been aware that he'd been paying any attention. Of course, he didn't really believe his brother was dead, but he wasn't like Damon who would just disappear, Stefan checked in and consulted people first. It was who he was; never wanting others to worry. And, frankly, Damon was a bit bitter that he hadn't. Klaus let his arms come up to his chest immediately before reaching his hand out to even acknowledge the existence of Damon, "Niklaus Mikaelson," he spoke as if he was somebody unheard of. He bit on the inside of his cheek before walking around Damon, not meaning much of it, only to play the intimidation game, "Pleasure," he aid with a smile showcasing his dimples, a little evil behind the smile, extending his hand now. Damon scoffed softly, his eyes following Niklaus' movements, though nothing else did. He raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed by his tactics, "Yeah, I know who you are. But you knew that." He reached out and took Klaus' hand, giving it one solid and firm shake before taking his hand back.

Hope nodded solemnly, pursing her lips a little at Damon's careless words. She rested her head on Wyatt's lightly, placing her hands on top of his on her stomach, and watched the exchange between Damon and her father, silently. She drew miniature circles on the back of Wyatt's hand as she watched, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, tension rising a little out of nowhere, taking over from the calm, slightly awkward one that had been there before. She sighed and leaned into Wyatt further. Wyatt eyed the two with a small smirk, raising his eyebrows at Niklaus with a little hum.

"Now, now, Nik, behave," he chastised him jokingly, "he's family and all that." Truthfully, Wyatt wasn't all that close to Damon. The man was a doppelganger of his deceased brother, and Boone, who he'd developed a brotherly relationship with, was the doppelganger of Damon. That wasn't to say that he didn't like Damon, that he didn't tolerate him, but just that he didn't spend a lot of time with the man. Niklaus' smile turned into a sarcastic smirk, tilting his head to the side as he let a little shrug, "Well haven't you grown up," he said to Damon before turning to Wyatt, almost completely forgetting that he was also in the room along with his daughter, "Behave? What's the definition of that word," he said with a playfully confused tone, his eye trailing to his daughter. Damon clenched his jaw lightly, rolling his eyes as he put distance between Klaus and himself, sticking to the corners of the room, almost defensively. He took out his phone, trying to get ahold of his missing brother. Hope brought one of her hands up to give her father a mock salute, winking at him as she did so,

"You know how to behave. " She scoffed, furrowing her eyebrows at him and scratching at her neck with her now free hand, shifting a little in Wyatt's hold. Wyatt let go of Hope and moved towards Niklaus with a snort, clapping the hybrid's shoulder in a friendly gesture before turning to Damon, sieving through the vampire's thoughts a little.

"Still no sign of my little vegetarian doppelganger, no?" He questioned. At Wyatt's words, Damon quickly locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket, crossing his arms tightly over his chest as he rested against the wall; keeping a blank expression on his face, "No, and I don't care." He shrugged lightly. Niklaus laughed and threw his arm over Wyatt's shoulder, looking at Damon with a bit of uncertainty in his eyes, what was he doing here? Came to take his place? That couldn't be, Wyatt and Klaus shared a deeper bond than Damon and Wyatt ever could. "Have you gone looking yourself, or have you been playing like a child and having other people look for you," he questioned Damon, although he most likely knew the answer, he wanted to make Damon as angry as possible. Damon scoffed and looked over to Niklaus and grinned at him before giving him the middle finger. He was most definitely not letting Klaus beat him at his own game. Antagonizing people was what he did best and he was most definitely not going to be outdone by a Mikaelson, "I heard you were such a pleasure, Nikky." He chuckled and crossed his arms again.

Wyatt rolled his eyes a little and sighed at their display of bravado, the way they were deliberately trying to antagonise the other. He shook his head with an amused snort, reluctantly allowing Nik to keep his arm where it was. Their interactions were quite intriguing. If he'd have known that this was how they'd react to each other, he might have introduced them sooner. Once released, Hope yawned and did a fully body stretch, going up onto her tiptoes as she did so, extending her arms upwards, squeezing her eyes shut. She settled back down to her original position, only barely listening to the conversation the men were having, she raked a hand through her hair and then tucked her hands loosely into her back jean pockets, glancing around for what she wanted to occupy herself with. Her eyes landed on her book, where Wyatt had left it after his little investigation of it, she scooped it up and took it with her to her room, where she grabbed her glasses. She then blurred down to the kitchen, picking a bottle of water out from the fridge, she strolled back into the room everyone else was in at human speed. Hope took Klaus' place on the sofa, facing the other three, she cosied up on the seat, putting her glasses on. Klaus looked at Wyatt and began to laugh before looking back at Damon, his laugh continuing to echo in the room, "A pleasure? Niklaus Mikaelson? Well, I'm not surprised, I'm the life of every party." His laugh soon came to a stop when he looked over at Hope, strolling over to her, looking over his shoulder just once to look at Damon and Wyatt, his eyes narrow before turning his attention back to Hope, "And how are you, darling," he asked before sitting on the couch, leaning back into it. Hope glanced up at him instinctually, sensing him near her, she scooted over to sit next to him on the sofa, leaning against her father a little, smiling up at him sweetly,

"I am wonderful." She teased, poking his shoulder with her free hand, the other occupied by her book, "How about yourself?" She asked, her voice dropping a little in volume, ducking her head as she looked at him a little closer, trying to read his reaction, the question being meaningful. She wanted to know if he was okay, having Damon in town could be affecting him, especially after he had just gotten Wyatt back. Wyatt rolled his eyes a little at the brash laughter coming from Niklaus, rolling his shoulders a little as he moved over to Damon. He placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze by way of offering mutual support.

Damon nearly cringed as Wyatt placed his hand on him. In some ways, Wyatt reminded him a lot of his own brother, in more ways that just his appearance. Sometimes it was a comforting thing and sometimes it could make him feel...strange. All he knew was he made a mistake coming to this place had been a mistake. Klaus had his eyes on Wyatt at the time he had given Damon the slight squeeze, scoffing under his breath and rolling his eyes, just barely, before turning his attention back to Hope, hearing her but not listening, letting it process in his mid what she had just asked him, "Oh, I'm fine I guess," he muttered, wrapping his arm around his daughter to keep her close, absentmindedly turning to face Wyatt and Damon once more. Wyatt rolled his eyes a little at the way Damon cringed and shook his head.

"I know it must look weird, seeing your brother's face and knowing it's not him," he began, giving Damon a pointed look, "but trust me - it's far more weird for me to see you and be faced with the mirror image of my brother who /died/ back in 1864. So suck it up." With that, he ruffled Damon's hair and gave him a sharp smile before moving through to the Mikaelson's kitchen, turning on the kettle. Damon returned the weak smile, more out of hope there would be no more questioning, checking his phone yet again as he seemed to be doing out of habit. Whenever Wyatt would ask what was so important for Damon to have constant visual on his phone, he never got a straight answer, but one could assume he was waiting for his brother. Hope narrowed her eyes, unhappy with Klaus' response, but she pushed no further, knowing he wouldn't want to talk about it with their present company, and so she pushed her glasses back up her nose, and lifted her book up, thumbing through to her bookmark and carrying on from where she had left off. She bit her lip gently in concentration, teeth resting on the lip more than biting down onto it, her eyebrows remained lightly furrowed, as she read. Wyatt pulled a mug from the cupboard above him and set it down on the counter, grabbing the coffee jar and dumping two spoonfuls of coffee granules into the mug. Klaus looked at Hope and whispered to her softly, even though he knew that the house was filled with vampires and that they could still hear him, maybe they were too busy pondering among themselves to notice to slight hush in their voices, "So Damon, how do you feel about him?"

Damon hear his name, but Klaus was far down on his list of things to worry about. He didn't bother even looking up as he sent another text message. Wyatt poured the water when the kettle boiled and added two sugars, foregoing milk. He stirred his drink before setting the teaspoon he used onto the little ceramic dish for teabags and spoons that was next to the kettle and picked up his mug, turning around and leaning against the counter. He was listening keenly to the goings-on in the living room, Klaus discussing his nephew with Hope, Damon texting anxiously. He shook his head a little, huffing. Hope grinned a little to herself, setting her book down once more, and glancing up at her father, wriggling her nose a little as it itched,

"I feel like I just met him, and that it's too soon for me to even begin to make an assessment of his character." She whispered back, evenly. Hope raised her eyebrows at her father and looked over to Damon, her gaze turning a little sympathetic.

The slight ghost of a smile made it's way onto his lips at Hope's reply. At least she was someone who didn't judge him as trouble at first glance. He sighed softly and looked up, meeting her gaze, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly as he received her look that he perceived as pity. He gave a small nod and a crooked smile before making his way over to Wyatt, "I should go."

Wyatt glanced up at Damon and sipped his coffee, before setting the mug on the side. He eyed his nephew, neither judging him nor expressing any sort of emotion towards him, simply just looking at him.

"Why?" He asked calmly.

"Hmph," let out Klaus, his head turning over to the kitchen, rubbing his daughter' arm in a gentle, paternal, almost protective kind of way, "Duly noted." He got up once he heard Damon speak of leaving, walking into the kitchen and towards the cabinet of liquor as he always did, "Why leave, the part is only about to begin!"

Damon shrugged lightly, not really having a valid reason. It was more of just the feeling that he didn't belong there. He didn't even bother acknowledging Klaus' presence, as though the man wasn't even there. Wyatt glanced over Damon's shoulder at Klaus with an arched eyebrow, glancing up at the clock.

"I'm not sure if I should be surprised that you're drinking at four in the afternoon," he drawled, tutting a little, before averting his eyes back to Damon. "Stick around for a while," he said, neither forceful nor pleading. His tone implied that it was a suggestion made out of casual interest in his nephew spending time with him. Hope, for the third time that evening, raised her book once more, to try and continue reading it, but then promptly threw it aside. She frowned sadly at what she was hearing, a little irritated at her father's mocking tone, and so she blurred over to stand in front of Damon, but not too close, wanting him to feel he had enough space, not wanting him to feel like he was closed in, or cornered, she tilted her head at him,

"Please stay. We just met and it would be lovely to get to know you." She pleaded, keeping her tone even, and her stance casual, non intimidating. Damon raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the side, eying her closely in a curious and almost..confused manner. Frankly, her words /did/ confuse him. There was rarely a time when his presence was actually requested, let alone, requested simply because someone wanted to actually spend time with him. Usually, it was because he was in trouble, they wanted protection or some other sort of assistance from the raven haired vampire. His response could have been a result of her words catching him off-guard, but he agreed, nonetheless, "Alright.. sure, I'd like that." He nodded at Hope. Wyatt glanced between his nephew and his girlfriend, a pleased half-smile forming on his face as Damon agreed to stay. He hummed and nodded a little, clapping Damon's shoulder once, lightly, in an approving manner, before kissing Hope's cheek and stepping around the two of them, making his way over to Klaus and stealing the bottle from the hybrid's hands swiftly with ease, eyeing the label with an approving noise.

Hope beamed, leaning up a little to meet Wyatt as he kissed her cheek, and then settling back down once he'd gone. She gave Damon a look that suggested a sense of camaraderie, and moved back over to scoop up her book, deciding she didn't care enough about the plot to continue reading it. She was suddenly by the bookcase, eyes scanning the spines of the books for where her book belonged, she moved up onto her tiptoes as she searched, a hand coming up to play with her lips absentmindedly while she did so. Klaus rolled his eyes, but his back was turned to everyone so no one saw it, grabbing 4 cups out of the cabinet beneath him and choosing a nice bottle of scotch, holding it up to showcase how excellent it was, "Please stay, we can have a nice chat and a nice drink, a win win for everyone." It was like he was rekindling with Wyatt all over again. He squinted at Wyatt when he took the bottle away from him huffing a bit, "I don't have cheap alcohol."

Wyatt glanced up from the bottle and looked at Klaus with a small smirk, shrugging as he passed it between his hands.

"Of course not," he grinned, shrugging his shoulders in a casual fashion. "I was merely inspecting which brand it was," he said, quirking his eyebrows up and cocking his head to the side a little, a smarmy grin on his face. "In here," he questioned, gesturing to the table, "or in the living room?" His hand moved towards the living area. Niklaus jumped up onto the counter, his hands both clasping the edge of the counters with a smile that beamed around. It moved from the Hope that was leaving to put her book back and the Damon who had been standing here with a mean mugging look on his face, "In here seems fine, if we run out, it'll already be here," he stated pointing to the cabinet behind him, slouching forward a bit. Wyatt nodded a little and moved over to the table, pulling out a chair and slumping down into it with a casual shrug, glancing between Damon and Klaus with a small squint, the tension radiating between the two of them almost palpable. He shook his head with a huff and set the bottle of liquor in the middle of the table. Damon watched Hope curiously. She was just a happy sort of aura that filled the room throughout all of the tension and he genuinely was starting to enjoy the girl's presence, if only because she calmed things down. Hope finally found the right place for her book and slotted it in to fit smoothly in with the others. She listened to what was happening in the kitchen, and then tipped her head to return Damon's stare, she shrugged tiredly as if communicating an apology for her father's behaviour. Hope blurred into the kitchen, appearing on Wyatt's lap,

"Boo!" She chuckled and took her glasses off, collapsing them and leaning over Wyatt momentarily to set them down on the table.

Klaus tossed Wyatt all of the small cups to fill up, resting his hands on his elbows now once he realized Damon had been watching Hope, letting out a 'hmph' in his mind, shaking his head at the situation, play nice. He smiled once Hope had made her way back into the kitchen, nodding with a smile; He could play nice for her. Wyatt jerked slightly as his sudden lap-full of tribrid, before shaking his head a little and catching the glasses Klaus threw to him with ease, moving his arms around Hope to set them down on the table and fill them with the liquor. His eyes were narrowed, brow furrowed a little at Klaus' pheromones. He could practically smell the testosterone. Damon smiled lightly at Klaus. If Klaus hadn't already known better, one might believe it was actually genuine. Of course, he could sense everything radiating off of Klaus and he knew this battle was far from over. He sighed softly and rested back against the wall. Hope rested a hand on the lower back of Wyatt's neck, beginning to massage lightly, trying to soothe and comfort him a little. The tension and feeling of rivalry was weighing a little on her mood, and she concentrated on her efforts to ease Wyatt, glanced down at him to ghost her eyes over his expression, trying to read him to see what else she could do. Wyatt set the bottle down and took a sip from his glass, before placing it on a place mat and glancing around the room at Klaus and Damon then looking up at Hope. He wrapped an arm around her waist, fingertips playing idly with the leg of her shorts, thumb brushing over her thigh lightly. He tilted his head a little, sorting through her thoughts briefly to gauge her mood. Klaus' eyes shot down to Wyatt's hand, even though the man was his best friend he didn't want to see their PDA, especially in his own home, "Put that away," he demanded with a roll of the eyes. He jumped down and poured himself the drink, pouring much more than was needed to swallow it all at once, his chest heavy and his head held high. Wyatt arched his eyebrows, before following Niklaus' gaze and rolling his eyes with a sigh, shaking his head a little and moving his hand up to Hope's hip instead, giving the hybrid a sarcastic smile.

"Happy now?" He intoned, huffing a little as he spoke.

"Eh, could be a bit better, but I'm not a rude, now am I," he said back to Wyatt, matching the vampire' tone, pouring himself another drink. He let out the lightest little chuckle at his own statement, he found himself to be quite a hilarious person to be frank, "Would you like a glass, Hope," he asked, grabbing another cup, waving it a bit at her. Wyatt smirked and shook his head, eyeing Klaus with vague amusement.

"No, of course not," he drawled before looking up at Hope, awaiting her answer. His eyes drifted briefly to Damon. Hope laughed at her father's reaction, blowing him a kiss and giving him a sweet smile to try and placate him,

"I'd love one." She answered him warmly, turning the light massage she was applying to Wyatt's neck into little circles and patterns, tracing lightly. Hope leaned into Wyatt a bit, and then screwed her mouth up, her most prominent mannerism, turning her upper torso about a bit to look over at Damon,

"So Damon, how long are you staying?"

Klaus quickly caught the kiss and pretended to put it in his pocket, a little bit of a cliche move, but still. He then turned and scrunched up his nose to let his chuckle turn into a little laugh, cocking his head a bit at Wyatt, "Smart answer," he then put his cup down and began to pour some scotch into another cup, sliding it over to Hope once it was filled. Wyatt tilted his head and let it rest against Hope's chest, closing his eyes and silently enjoying the feeling of her fingers against his skin. He shivered lightly, the feeling faintly ticklish but in a good way, and curled his arms more securely around her, feeling relaxed in her presence. It was nice to just be close to her, feeling her heart beating against his ear and not feeling tempted to feed from her in the slightest anymore - that urge had quickly dulled, and in its place there was a certain degree of comfort to hear and feel that she was alive and breathing.

Hope laughed softly as Wyatt's head came to rest on her chest, she placed a hand to the back of his head and leaned forward to reach for her drink, bringing him with her as she did so, she struggled and then gave up, pulling the glass towards her with her powers. She gave an approving smirk, and raised the glass to her lips, taking a sip and playing with Wyatt's hair at the same time. Hope rested her cheek lightly on top of Wyatt's head, setting the glass down and watching her dad, an amazing sense of calm flooding her. Klaus watched Wyatt and Hope, not in a creepy weird way, not in a protective fatherly way , just watched them as an outsider to whatever they had going on; it was cute, for the most part. It was weird to see his daughter, his princess, with his best friend, someone who was like a brother to him. He tried to pry his eyes away to look down at the cup and take a sip, swishing the scotch around in his mouth a bit before letting it burn its way down his throat, letting his eyes move without intent nor motive on what do next, so he kept to himself. Damon, sometime during the affectionate actions of the couple, had completely lost any focus on the situation at hand, lost in his own mind. When Hope spoke to him, he heard only her voice and not the words coming from her mouth, "Sorry, what?" He looked over to the blonde, furrowing his eyebrows. Wyatt could sense Niklaus' eyes on him and he licked his lips, peering up at the hybrid - but he'd already averted his gaze elsewhere, so Wyatt didn't make any comment. He simply tucked his head once again and closed his eyes like he had before, focusing on the calming beats of Hope's heart, though after a moment he lost his interest and sat up again, grabbing his drink and taking a sip of the liquor.

Hope smiled a little awkwardly at Damon. People were always doing that to her, listening to her but never actually /listening/. She supposed it was what came with surrounding yourself with people who lived as they were, with all the trauma, and the constant drama. She decided she couldn't really blame Damon for allowing his mind to wander, and so she blurred off of Wyatt's lap, taking her drink with her but leaving her glasses. She sat herself in the chair closest to Damon, crossing one of her legs over the other and propping her elbow up on her knee, resting her chin on her hand, watching him with interest,

"How long are you staying?" She repeated patiently. Klaus now moved his eyes over to Damon, not saying a word, his eyes not aggressive but not nice either, very calm and neutral. He moved around the kitchen swiftly before walking out to the huge court outside of the kitchen doors, sitting down in one of the chairs, looking up at the sky change from the blue of the afternoon to the blue of the evening beginning to dawn on them, the sky also finding hints of orange and pink in itself. He took another sip of the scotch before slouching more into the chair, leaning back and laying his head back, sighing out, not sure what emotion hid behind it, before closing his eyes. Damon smiled lightly at the girl, not minding that she'd moved close to him. There was something about her... something different that had immediately placed her in his good graces. She seemed to be a genuinely caring and attentive person. Even with the façade or guarding he entered the place with, she still made an effort to try and welcome him and even get to know him. Being a child of Klaus should have automatically ruled her out as any acquaintance of Damon's, but he was actually proud of his uncle for choosing her, "Well, that depends, love. Do you mean town or /here/?"

Hope snorted automatically, jerking her head a little in an approving half nod, she brought her hands up to make a wide, generalising gesture,

"Here. The town. This /earth/." She began sarcastically, rolling her eyes and huffing in sardonic amusement, "I meant in town. With Wyatt." She finally answered, truthfully. Damon grinned at her sarcastic response, "By /here/ I meant in this specific building." He chuckled and shrugged lightly, "I don't know... It all depends, I suppose. I'm sort of nomadic."

Wyatt glanced between Hope and Damon, watching their interactions with a casual eye before looking at Klaus. He took his drink and moved around the the hybrid's side of the table, taking a seat next to him and patting his arm lightly with the back of his hand. He stretched out his legs underneath the table and crossed them at the ankles, setting his glass on the table top with a small hum.

"Alright?" He asked, eyes on Damon and Hope.

Hope's grin widened in response to his. He was letting his guard down, and he was letting it down for her. She shifted a little in her seat, and stifled a yawn, she knew Wyatt or Klaus would insist on her going to bed sooner rather than later, and she preferred it to be later. She skimmed the tip of her nose with a half fist, in an effort to cover her yawn, eyes remaining on Damon,

"I used to move around a lot. Every couple of weeks, actually." She offered the information, glad they had some sort of common ground, something they could both relate to. Damon chuckled at the familiar habit and nodded slightly, "I never really had much of a reason to stay around anywhere. My only goal in life used to be ruining Stefan's and... I don't do that any more. Frankly, I'm not sure what the point to my existence is without that.." He admitted honestly but light-heartedly, giving her a weak half smile. Klaus remained with his eyes closed, bringing the cup up to his lips, taking the very last sip of the scotch, now sighing in a bit of distress, shaking his head, "I'm fine, I suppose," he answered honestly. Even if he were to have been in a bit of a mood, he wouldn't admit it to anyone, too much of a pride thing to have other worry about him, he had to worry about others, "How about you," he shifted to sit up, looking at his long time friend in the eyes, "How does it feel to be reconnected with him?"

Wyatt glanced over at Damon, hearing his confession as Klaus questioned him, before he looked back at the hybrid and shrugged.

"He's... not like anyone I've dealt with before. Emotionless yet emotional simultaneously, and it's odd to see yet another with my brother's face. But he's fine," he said, shrugging lightly, knowing that Damon could hear him. "I'm not particularly close with him, but I'm only close to three people in this entire world and that's you, Hope and Boone." He looked at Damon once more before returning his gaze to Klaus again. "I guess I'll be closer to him with time, if he sticks around me."

Hope nodded thoughtfully, mulling it over. She wondered what it was like to live like that, existing simply with the purpose of making ones family miserable. She glanced away from Damon, towards the bookshelf she could just about see from where she was sitting, taking a sip of her drink, reminded of the plot in the book. She gave a halfhearted smirk, realising what Damon had just said could have been a quote from the book, the circumstances were so similar,

"So now you're drifting?" She prompted, gently. Damon heard his uncle's comment but saw no falsity in the statement. It's not like it would hurt him or anything. They weren't very close, and Damon tended to be emotionally bipolar. These were things he knew. He thought for a moment, trying to think of how he could explain what he felt to this girl who seemed determined to know about him, "I don't know, honestly. It's like... I'm in retirement.. you know? It's like, I've done everything that I'm going to do, dealt with what I've needed to deal with and now I'm just.. done... Not that I see death coming or anything like a human, but..." He faded off, not exactly sure where he was going with the sentiment, giving her a small shrug. He felt as though he might be opening himself up a bit too much.

Klaus nodded as he continued to listen in on the conversation going on between Damon and Hope and listening to Wyatt explain his situation, "Sound difficult," he said in a tone that didn't have a mocking or sarcastic strain on it being genuine, it did sound hard and he could only imagine. "He seems like you. Like he has Saueveterre running through his veins," he snickered a bit, his eyes moving over to Damon, shaking his head a bit at himself, "Do you think I came off a bit too strong?" He even shocked himself a bit, he didn't really care if people were offended or hurt by his feelings, but he could tell it hit Wyatt and Hope in some way when he was being rude towards Damon. Hope licked her lips and took another sip from her glass, she cocked her head to the side as he talked, simply listening. She didn't want to push him any further, as he was clearly growing uncomfortable, so instead, she settled on trying to understand how he was feeling, throwing some light humour into the mix,

"You truly are an old man." She complimented teasingly, raising her glass towards him, a proud smirk on her face at her own joke, "But seriously, I think I understand." She conceded, nodding her head towards him, and then not pushing any further. It was a steep conversation to have with someone you'd just met, and so she left the topic alone. Wyatt shrugged a little, lips pursed slightly as he glanced at Klaus, eyeing the man up and down before letting out a single laugh, shaking his head as he took his drink and sipped from it, looking over his glass at the hybrid. Swallowing, he lowered it from his lips, gently shaking the glass between his two fingers and thumb so that the liquor swirled around the sides of the glass in a circle.

"You're Klaus Mikaelson, the original hybrid," he smirked, arching an eyebrow. "You're a king. You always come off too strong, but that's neither a good thing nor a bad thing. And frankly, I'm not particularly bothered by it so if you think they were then they're the people to ask."

Wyatt glanced over at Damon with a small shake of his head, correcting him.

"You're nineteen," he told him. "Maybe twenty, if my memory is a little hazy."

Hope scowled upon losing her glass, she jumped out of her seat and went to grab her glass from him, eyebrow raised, she turned her head to look at Wyatt as he revealed Damon's age, a victorious smirk appearing on her face,

"Ha! Younger than me. Perfect. Now, respect your elders and give me back my alcoholic beverage." Hope ordered, a hand on her hip, the other pointing vaguely towards the glass. She knew that Damon was definitely way older than she was, but the number on the paper never lied, and so, she decided that, as it was her only leverage, she was going to treat him like he was younger than her. Just as long as it was profitable.

Klaus had the glass in his hands, his hands on his lap, letting himself play with the glass, tossing it a bit before letting his eyes travel to Wyatt. The entire time he had known Wyatt, he hadn't realized that the boy was quite handsome, "Good job, Hope he thought to himelf before quickly dismissing the thought so anyone prying in his ind wouldn't find that little harmless thought, "I am king and you are my," he let himself trail off, tilting his head from side to side as he thought about what to call Wyatt, "My Prime Minister," he laughed with Wyatt, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, on hand on his chin, the other laying flat on his leg. Wyatt let out a small snort, laughing as he shook his head, a grin on his face as he nodded, lips pursed. He threw up his hands in an almost-shrug, a casual gesture that roughly translated as 'fair enough', before he tipped his head back, necking the rest of the drink. He sighed and licked his lips, setting the empty glass on the tabletop with an amused hum.

"I'm good with that," he chuckled, eyeing Klaus, eyes glinting with mirth. Damon glared at Wyatt and huffed, finishing off the glass before handing it back to Hope, "there you go, sweetheart."

Hope accepted the empty glass and blinked at it, and then blinking at him. She turned to blink at her father and her boyfriend, wondering if they'd seen the injustice that had just occurred. She returned her gaze to Damon, glaring at him, pivoting on her heel to pour herself some more, shaking her head slowly as she did so, a sigh to complete the look of tragedy. Damon chuckled softly at how devastated she seemed to be as she stared into her now empty glass. He smiled in a friendly manner as he watched her, "I apologize."

Hope scoffed wordlessly, narrowing her eyes at him, but not able to keep the small begrudging smile off her face as she did so. She grabbed a second glass and poured Damon a drink of his own, she handed it to him, giving him a very pointed look, and then went back to drinking her own drink. Damon chuckled and took the glass from her, inclining his head, "You are a kind soul. I am oh so weary and drinking helps everything." He joked, chuckling.


	6. Six: The Incident

Hope had spent the days after what she liked to call "the event" being miserable, she moped about, didn't really speak to anyone, and just hung about the house. She had no idea where Wyatt was, she hadn't seen him since Klaus had forcefully dragged her out of the Salvatore Boarding house, and honestly... The questions she had were the first she actually never wanted the answers to, and so, she tried to distance herself from the sadness. There was this part of her that came alive in Wyatt's presence, and now that he was gone, it was dormant. That part held her confidence, her sass and her independence, she was pretty much just a dead weight, and she hadn't spoken to Niklaus since he had made Wyatt turn his humanity off. And that was when she heard it, a heartbeat. Her mind immediately told her that it was just Klaus, but then there was that raw instinctual, more demanding part, that told her it wasn't her father. She glanced around her and then began to follow the faint sound, listening carefully, her venture leading her finally to the cellar.

Wyatt was wrapped in iron chains and strapped down to a large iron chair in the cellar, a moderate amount of vervain running through his system to keep him weak enough that breaking free from his captivity would be made a near impossible thing that he simply wouldn't have the energy for. As it was, right now Wyatt was unconscious, a couple of wounds still healing from where Klaus had attempted to beat him into his humanity. His head was lolled forward, chin digging into his own chest, and his eyes were practically sealed together with the crust of sleep and sweat. Every once in a while, his body would twitch a little, but nothing more. Klaus had hit him hard - really hard - with a length of steel in his frustration when his methods hadn't seemed to be getting through to Wyatt, and it'd knocked him out cold. Klaus couldn't seem to understand why nothing was working - especially the pain. So many times, it'd been pain that kept many supernaturals human.

Hope always milestoned the cellar, to know where she was, and to navigate her way around, the freezer being the first milestone. But, as soon as she heard the heartbeat, and the familiarity of the rythm, she didn't need the milestones, she hurried towards the sound of the heartbeat. She eventually found the right door, and peered in, her heart skipping a beat and then dropping drastically, at the sight of Wyatt, she licked her lips,

"Wyatt?" She asked, quietly. Wyatt didn't show any indication of hearing her; he didn't respond at all. He was out of it. Completely and utterly.

Klaus had been up in his room painting, as he usually did, thinking about the actions that had occurred. Wyatt was now with no humanity and Hope probably hated him more than the pair of them would like to admit. They had both been so preoccupied in trying to stay away from each other that they couldn't even look at each other. He began to think about Wyatt in the cell downstairs and how he should probably feed him a bit of blood now. The paintbrush and pallet were now off on the side and he was downstairs in the basement, about to grab a blood bag from the freezer when he heard her voice. Shit.

Hope groaned, chewing agonisingly harshly on her lower lip, and with a feminine grunt, she unlocked the heavy door, and stepped into the dimly lit room, taking a few cautionary steps towards Wyatt. She was too wrapped up in the sight that was before her, to even notice the third heartbeat. Hope came forward, placing a gentle hand experimentally on his face, cupping his cheek, pain flitting over her features,

"Wyatt?" She asked again, even softer in tone than before. Wyatt's head shifted in its position slightly, tilting a little due to the pressure of Hope's hand, but it'd take a lot more than her soft tone and gentle touch to rouse him. Klaus flashed quickly towards the room, taking a deep breath before she could step any further into the room, "Stop." At this time this was something that Klaus needed to handle on his own, he would let Hope help when it was time to fully bring him back, when Klaus had gotten close enough, "Hope, you need to leave now. We'll talk about this in a second."

Hope stiffened and then straightened up, turning slowly to glare at him,

"You need to stop doing that. All you seem to do is show up and tell me to leave places that I have perfect right to visit." She spoke eerily calmly, her tone was cold, but her eyes communicated that she was sad and hurt, she suspected her hostility was her coping mechanism. Nonetheless, she exited the room, moving back into the freezer room and grabbing a much needed blood bag. Klaus stood between her and the doorway to get to Wyatt, "I don't think you're listening to me, love, okay? You have no idea what you are doing nor what/who you are dealing with. So when I, as a 1000 year old vampire and your father, tell you to leave, I suggest you do it. It's not for my safety but for your own." At the end of the ramble he let out a hard sigh and stared her down, not wanting to have to scare her off. Wyatt's fingers twitched a little where they dangled over the edge of the chair arms, and a hitched inhale sounded from his direction, the fainest of wheezing groans. Hope's nostrils flared slightly, she swallowed and dropped the furious expression, she was too tired and sick of the constant antagonistic atmosphere between the two of them, she kept her eyes on his, but spoke quietly and sadly,

"I'm leaving. That really wasn't necessary." She informed him, no menace in her tone, just tragedy.

Klaus looked between Wyatt and Hope, running his hands through his hair in a way to showcase that he had just given up. He had a best friend who he made turn off his humanity so he could live to see another day and he had a daughter who always seemed to want to argue with him. At the end of the day it seemed like he could never win, so he was going to let Hope deal with it, "Okay, I draw. You deal with your boyfriend for a bit."

Wyatt twitched a little in his seat, the consciousness within him slowly rising to the surface. Very slowly. Sluggishly. Hope sighed, nodding wordlessly, examining her shoes. She hated this feeling, the constant feeling of nothing, that came with an absent Wyatt, and a father who she was pretty sure couldn't even stand to be in the same room as her. Hope licked her lips and cleared her throat,

"Dad..." She began tentatively, still not exactly looking at him directly, "I don't hate you." She assured him, and then turned back to attend to Wyatt. She crouched next to him, allowing him some space, intending on being his company. Klaus didn't even respond to her, he made his way back up to his room, praying that she would have some more sense in her than to feed him that entire blood bag or let him out. Once he was in his room he threw down the painting he had started with bright colors, just cause he was in a good mood, and took a new one out from behind the easel. He grabbed the black, green and red paint and squirted them onto the pallet, huffing hard. Hope screwed her mouth up, supposing that Wyatt needed to be shocked awake, and so, in an incredibly cliche motion, Hope slapped him across the face, hard.

Klaus had already started the painting with the now brownish colored paint when, what sounded like a slap, echoed in his ears and all he could do was shake his head. Deep down he knew that he should be down there protecting her at all costs and telling her that trying to get him back the way she was attempting to, through the emotions, it wouldn't work. At least not as quickly as what he was attempting to do. But alas, he let her continue and learn for herself, he would jump in when it got too out of hand.

Wyatt jolted at the harsh impact on his face, eyes blinking rapidly before he groaned at the way his lashes felt clumped together, trying to move his arms to rub at his eyes only to realise they were still tied down. He let out an aggravated little growl, jaw muscles clenching harshly, and squirmed in his place, moody and livid and irritable, just wanting to get out. He was frustrated with his captivity, wanted to be free, get vengeance, then go and rip a couple of heads off and chill out without having to feel anything about anyone or anything. It was free, to be without humanity. This right here? This was not free.

Hope flinched at the sudden movement, she leaned forward a little on her knees, putting a cool hand to his forehead. Her eyes travelled down to the chains as he yanked at them, and admitted to herself that she was tempted, but wasn't foolish enough to believe he would just brush himself off and go about his day,

"Wyatt?" She asked, her voice drifting as she was still deep in indecision. Klaus heard Wyatt begin to wake as he tune in his hearing even more once he heard the chains rattle and Hope speak. "Let them have their moment, Niklaus," he whispered in a light voice to himself, not taking his eyes off of the painting, at this point it was no longer his battle to be fighting. He switched over to a bigger brush, dipping it into the black, outlining the border in a messy fashion, not knowing what he was painting anymore. It was like his mind was downstairs helping but his body was upstairs painting and he couldn't help but eavesdrop some more. Wyatt's eyelids flickered a little and he moaned out something slurred about not being able to open his eyes - sweat, tears, the crust of sleep, and even a little blood was gathered in his eyelashes. If anything, his face needed washing. He was sticky with all sorts of fluids and he felt like a rusty machine, like too much movement would have his stiff limbs snapping off or his skin ripping apart like fabric that got stretched too much and gave in. Hope sighed tiredly, trying to wipe the excess off of his eyelashes, but to no avail. She murmured about being right back to him and was then gone for a few short seconds, returning promptly with a wet flannel. Hope dabbed carefully at his eyes and then wiped away the preventers, turning her attention to his clammy face, she patted the flannel across his forehead, and then over his cheeks, finishing with his chin and mouth.

Klaus couldn't help it, he had to be there to see what she was doing, he couldn't just let her throw herself into a situation she knew nothing about. After he settled the pallet back off to the side he flashed downstairs, leaning against the wall that was adjacent the room that Wyatt and Hope were in at the moment, "What are you going to do with him now?" he questioned, tilting his head up and cocking it to the side to get a better view of what she was doing to him. Wyatt sighed a little at the cool flannel over his face, finally opening his eyes as it moved over other parts of it; he caught sight of Hope and tilted his head a little, watching her with something that might have almost been curiosity. He tilted his head up to give her better access to his chin and jaw. Hope ignored her father's question initially, finishing up on helping Wyatt first, trying to also ignore Wyatt's eyes on her. She folded the flannel up and set it down on a nearby mini alcove in the wall, finally turning to face Klaus, her face pensive and a little nervous, she shrugged helplessly,

"I don't know, I just wanted to help him a little. This doesn't have to be so uncomfortable, otherwise it just becomes another piece of his traumatising history." She admitted, eyes drifting back over to Wyatt as she did so, hands coming round to wrap themselves around her own waist.

Klaus walked over to the deep freezer and opened it quickly, grabbing a very small cup and squirted a bit of the blood into it before walking back over to the room, holding out the cup to her, "Give him this, okay? Just this much. We don't need him gaining any, well anything," he said looking over the boy who was in obvious distress. It's not like Klaus wanted it to be that way, but it was the only way they were going to get Wyatt back. Wyatt eyed Hope as she mentioned his "traumatising history" and let his head drop forward a little, taking in a ragged breath. His body was exhausted from the beatings and he couldn't remember the last time Klaus had fed him; he'd been down here for days. At the scent of blood, his head jerked up instantly, and his eyes fixated on the source of it with an intense hunger. He licked his lips subconsciously, just staring, waiting for it to come his way. His insides felt like sandpaper. Hope had been about to step forward to meet Klaus and accept the cup, but paused at Wyatt's reaction to it. She shook her head in a tiny motion that didn't hold any substance, and received the cup from her father, she licked her lips and resisted the mandatory urge to drink it herself, bringing it over to Wyatt and crouching down infront on him once more. She gingerly brought the cup to his lips, tipping it downwards so that the thick liquid started to trickle down the cup and into his awaiting lips,

"Here you go." She said softly, in an encouraging tone.

Klaus scoffed a bit at how, gentle and, well, hopeful she was that this would help everything; that she could help everything. His eyes quickly flickered from Wyatt to Hope then back down to Wyatt. If you were to have looked far enough in Niklaus' eyes, way at the back, there was a bit of sadness and hurt that he had to do this to someone who actually meant something to him, that he made someone who means a lot to him turn their humanity off. He didn't know what to expect once Wyatt was back from the state he was in, would he hate Klaus? He would have to know that it was all for Wyatt's own benefit, not for his own- Not some angry rage.

Wyatt's lips parted almost as if on command, and he swallowed down the blood without complaint nor hesitation. He sighed a little forlornly once it was gone, needing more, wanting more - craving more. But rather than throw up another fit and waste his limited energy, he simply licked his lips clean and swallowed the dregs before his gaze slowly lifted to Niklaus. Inside, he knew what Niklaus and Hope were to him, and he knew how the humane version of him - as humane as a sociopath could be considered - felt about them; but this version of him didn't feel it at all. His eyes were vacant as he looked at Nik, a little haunting.

Hope watched his palor change with a renewed sense of gratification, which darkened the moment Wyatt lifted his eyes and fixed her father with a gaze that unsettled her to her very core, she swallowed a little more audibly than she intended to, and flitted away to stand next to her father, feeling a little afronted, her stance a tad defensive, although it was needless. She just knew it rubbed her the wrong way to see someone look at her father like that, she stood close to him, crumpling the now empty cup up in her hand, a form of stress relief. Klaus was now staring Wyatt down with hard eyes, not showcasing any emotion that would indicate that the situation they were in made him upset or angry. It was as if he could smell the nothingness that came from Wyatt. It was like nothingness with a side of bloodthirsty. Once Hope stood next to him he moved a bit closer to her, standing a bit in front of her to show that Wyatt wouldn't come any closer to Hope from that time on and as long as he was around to make sure neither of them did. "Are you done, now?" the question wasn't directed at anyone in particular, his eyes had been on Wyatt when he asked it but they moved to Hope once he finished asking it.

Wyatt's eyes lingered on Klaus for a moment, an unsettling weight, before they flickered between both him and Hope, assessing them. He awaited more interaction, looking to learn what he could about what they planned. In this state, he couldn't read anyone's mind, could only toy with their subconscious - a skill he was reserving for later on. Hope was still undecided, but was honestly leaning towards her father's side at this point, her face remained still pensive, and her mouth screwed up, her most prominent mannerism, indicating she was conflicted and a little anxious. She crossed her arms and cocked her head curiously at Wyatt, his eyes held no seeable emotion, and his face was just the same. She needed just one display of humanity, one sign that he was still in there somewhere, and she would be significantly happier. But she knew that was the fantasy and this was reality,

"What do you want me to do?" She asked her father softly, no hint of accusation in her tone. She couldn't help feeling that this was a test. Klaus looked over at her with cocked eyebrows and a slight smirk at the fact she needed his help, and he knew it, "This is all for you to handle, you wanted to help in your way, so do it your way." He felt a little satisfaction once he told her to do it herself, he felt powerful, although, to be quite fair he always was. Yet, at the same time, it made him feel horrible. Doing this to people he loved made him sick to his stomach because all he could think about how his father used to treat him. His father used to treat him like the dirt on the bottom of his shoes, someone he was supposed to love. Mikael treated someone he was supposed to love like nothing and that's how Klaus was acting now, but he swallowed that lump in his throat and looked at Wyatt once more, "Do what you think is right."

Hope smiled at Klaus a little sadly, nodding in understanding, she knew he was being tough for a reason, and that it was for hers and Wyatt's own good, but it didn't settle well within her, the coldness in his tone clung to her and drained her a little. She realised how exhausted she was, and immediately pushed it aside, without a thought to the contrary, there were more important things than Hope right now. She frowned in contemplatiom at Klaus' shoes and then she nodded to signify she'd made her decision, she walked over to Wyatt and undid his shackles, with a heavy sigh, eyes downcast,

"He's not a dog." She stated, in a quiet voice.

Wyatt watched Hope as she crossed the room over to him and approached him, eyes fixated to her. If he'd have had his humanity on, he would have definitely felt surprise in response to her undoing the shackles that bound his wrists, ankles and waist. He let out a small sigh as the pressure relieved, and instantly lifted his arms to rub at his wrists. The skin there was bright red and thin, wet with secretion from his wounds. He watched as they slowly, painstakingly slowly, healed, the skin knitting back together. Klaus' eyes widened once she unshackled him, wanting to stop her from making the mistake, but, she had to handle this one on her own. Anger and relief set in all at once when he was finally free from the chains, only nodding at her, no indication on whether it was in approval or disbelief. He was angry that she was naive enough and cared enough to let him go, even if he was dehydrated and couldn't do much on his own, it was a still a risk; relief, however, overcame him. He was glad that Wyatt was now free, despite it being dangerous. He was glad that Wyatt could actually stretch out his muscles. His eyes were alert and focused on Wyatt, wondering what his next move was once he was free.

Hope was struggling with the heavy atmosphere, wondering if the pressure had had something to do with her decision, but alas, she had already made it, and it would not be a good show of character to go back on it now. She gave Wyatt one last look, her face tired and somber, before turning to walk out of the room, touching her father's arm in a gesture that helped her to anchor her emotions a little, before heading outside and taking a seat by the door. She pulled her knees up to her and hugged her legs to her, chin resting on her knees. Klaus looked as Hope left and walked a little closer to Wyatt, not knowing if he should close the door once more or just let him leave and he and Hope would deal with it when it came time to. In the end he decided to just leave it open and would think that if Hope's act of generosity would trigger at least a bit of a emotion, even if it was just gratitude. He flashed over to Hope, settling a hand on her shoulder, letting out the most humble and sincere, "I'm sorry," slip from his lips as he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. At the end of the day, it was his fault and he had to deal with the consequences.

Wyatt watched Hope leave the room, and he wanted to stand but he didn't know if he could yet. He didn't feel like trying, either. He needed more blood, and he needed someone to give it to him so he could actually get up. That small amount had been nothing to battle the exertion. Wyatt glanced at Niklaus as he approached him, but then the man left and Wyatt watched him with an intense gaze, eyes flickering between him and the door as Klaus moved. He yelled a little, growling, "You can't just leave me here!"

Hope dragged her eyes up to meet her father's, her heart lifted a little at his apology and the sincerety in his tone, confirming to her that he did still love her, and she shook her head,

"You helped him when no-one else could. You had no choice." She almost whispered back. Her mind was listening to Wyatt's struggle in the other room, and with another tired sigh, she was abruptly gone and was by Wyatt's side with a blood bag held out to him, within the next second,

"Indoor voices." She reminded him with a little smile, she knew this was her responsibility now that she had made the decision to let him free.

Wyatt looked up at Hope, staring for a moment, before a laugh bubbled out of him as he shook his head a little.

"Indoor voices?" He questioned her, taking the blood bag from her and ripping into it with his teeth. He sunk his fangs into the bag and sucked up the blood greedily, draining the bag in seconds before he tossed it aside carelessly and eyed her again. "What am I to you, a nursery kid having a tantrum?" He questioned, "I'm freaking hungry!"

Klaus blinked once and Hope had gone and disappeared into the same room as Wyatt, and he could smell the blood bag in her hand, "Make sure this is what you really want to do, love," he spoke out loud, knowing that she had been human that she wouldn't have heard him, but she wasn't so she heard it loud and clear. He let out another sigh, knowing that once Wyatt had the strength to get back on his feet and to leave, he would, it's what usually happened with most vampires. He finally heard Wyatt's voice and the horrid, evil laugh that ripped from the back of his throat so he flashed over, looking down at him with flared nostrils and a hard glare. Hope narrowed her eyes a little, straightening her posture out and crossing her arms over her chest,

"Just drink. No need for association." She replied, her tone detached and her face deceivingly disinterested. She just wanted him to leave and do whatever he needed to do, she held on to the hope that her father and herself would be able to turn it all around and help bring him back at some point.

Wyatt lifted his head to look up at Klaus, eyebrow arched a little, seeing the hardness in the hybrid's glare, and he tilted his head to the side, just watching the man, waiting to see what he'd do. His eyes were fixated on him, and he stared, until- until the sound of a fluttering pulse hit his ears - specifically, Hope's. His eyes drew away from Klaus of their own accord, the only part of Wyatt awake being the ripper inside of him, and he stared at the jumping artery in Hope's neck intensely. Klaus let his eyes move from Wyatt to Hope and then back at Wyatt. Klaus was a bit farther from Hope than Wyatt was, actually quite a distance, he didn't know if it mattered who was faster, it was down to the fact that Wyatt could actually just reach out and snatch Hope. He didn't know if he should address it directly, only taking one small step forward, "Hope." All he spoke was her name as he kept his eyes on Wyatt, his hands clenching into fists at the thought of anyone hurting his daughter. This is exactly why Klaus didn't want them to be dating, just in case. But then again he couldn't say anything, this just in case was his own fault, "Come here, Hope."

Hope didn't make the link between Wyatt's intense stare and his motive, and shifted uncomfortably, moving to take a step back, a little behind Klaus now, her stare still unbetraying of much emotion, but was now slightly irritated. She turned her head towards her father, and took a step closer so that their arms were touching, in an effort to calm him. Wyatt's eyes tracked her like a predator stalking its prey with their mere gaze penetrative gaze alone, but he made no movements. He may have had his humanity off, but that didn't mean his survival instincts weren't awake and very much attuned to the fact that he had a being in the room with him that was strong enough to kill him in seconds. He merely sat there and bid his time. Klaus grabbed Hope's arm, not in an aggressive way like he had been doing most of the time now, but in a protective way, holding her a bit closer to him in a paternal instinct. "And what now?" he said to her loud enough for the both of them to hear him, only turning to look back at Hope for a second before turning his attention over to Wyatt, watching him sit there acting as if he was going to do nothing, but Klaus knew him better than that.

Hope frowned at Wyatt, meeting his stare with one of her own, she silently forbade him from doing what he clearly wanted to,

"We revel in our poor decision making." She answered, never taking her eyes off of Wyatt's, the eerie feeling that something bad would happen if she did, creeping up on her. Wyatt rolled his neck a little and averted the direction of his gaze, eyeing Klaus with something that might have been amusement as he tipped his head down and lifted his eyebrows.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked with a slight smirk, before glancing at Hope with a small laugh, nodding his head towards her just once. "She is," he grinned. Another sadistic laugh blurted out from his throat and a manic sort of open smile took over his face as he watched the two; he was quite enjoying freaking them out, on a baser level. Klaus let out a growl without thinking about it, complete rage almost taking him over at the thought of Wyatt hurting her, or even scaring her enough to be scared of him. "I don't need to be scared of someone like you," he looked back at Hope, his face hard and angry, "And you don't have to be either," he yelled, his accent rolling off of his tongue like a song around the words. "You're lucky I care enough about the both of you to not rip your heart out right now."

Hope, suprisungly, didn't react to either of them, she simply stared between them sardonically. Oddly, she was reminded of her Aunt Rebekah, and her lessons on power plays. Hope gritted her teeth a little as her father's rage was suddenly directed at her, and she blinked at him in response, not finding words that could possibly make the situation any better. She looked back at Wyatt, and raised her eyebrows in an unimpressed fashion,

"I'm not scared of you, I'm merely rethinking my life choices." She retorted, bringing a hand up to scratch at her neck lightly.

Knowing he couldn't do anything, couldn't leave when Klaus was in the room, able to and certain to stop him, Wyatt's more manipulative side came into play. He took in a deep, shaky breath, turning his head away as if he were trying to compose himself and stop a break down, before he sputtered a little and his chest began to shake as tears spilled down his cheeks. His bottom lip trembled as he turned to look at Klaus and Hope, shaking his head a little, chest rising and falling heavily.

"Please, just let me go, let me out, I'll be good, I promise," he begged, body trembling with it. Hope's expression was immediately shut off, her gaze was untrusting and she made no effort to move towards him. She knew there was a possibility that he could be honestly upset and desperate, and her heart longed to grant him his wish, but it was too sudden and suspicious, so she kept her distance. Klaus watched as Hope fell soft at the thought of her... boyfriend? Boyfriend. The thought of her boyfriend being hurt in anyway that involved her inflicting it caused her a visible distress that would only help Wyatt manipulate her into letting him go. Still angry from the latest remarks from Wyatt, Niklaus was not believing the act one bit, he was a thousand years old and he'd seen it all. His jaw was tight and his nostrils began to flare as he began to speak to Hope, "Please do not tell me you are actually falling for this, Hope."

Wyatt's head dropped down a little as he let out a single, breathy laugh, sweat gathering on his skin again consequent of his exertion, eyes wet with tears, his body still reeling and reacting. Klaus had really taken it out of him, and now the man was questioning his pleas - it almost made the sociopath angry, made his fangs ache in his gums to tear into the hybrid's flesh and rip him apart. How dare he question him?! Wyatt rolled his head back, letting out a low sobbing noise.

"Please," he moaned, eyes falling shut, feigning that he was weaker than he actually felt. Hope shifted uncomfortably, and for the sake of everyone who wasn't Wyatt in the room, she took a significant step back. She sighed in a highly frustrated manner, hiding her face in her hands as she refused to look at Wyatt, she could physically feel herself growing weak to his pleas, it was ruining her. Hope hid behind Klaus' back and rested her head inbetween his shoulder blades, shaking her head, tortured, against his back. She whimpered as he moaned, her lip trembling,

"You're so sick. We're cooperating with you. Just go." She called out, her voice shaky, and clearly not as strong as she wanted it to be. Wyatt let his head drop forward and he watched as Hope shuffled away from him, could sense her misery and distress from where he was slumped in the chair - wasn't affected by it in the slightest. He glanced at Niklaus, then back at Hope as she scuttled behind her father and buried her face against his back. A small smirk came over his face, and he jerked up out of his seat, darting out of the door.

"No." It was plain and simple on how Klaus felt about the whole letting Wyatt go roam free, it was a definite no on his part. "Earlier I stood here and let my daughter let you out of your chains and feed you blood," he growled at Wyatt beginning to step closer and closer to his longtime friend, almost shaking with anger now. Once Wyatt came towards the door, Klaus grabbed him by his neck and slammed Wyatt onto the ground inside the cell, grasping his neck tightly within his hand only squeezing harder by the second, "You're not going anywhere."

Hope pressed herself up against the wall, turning her face away, not surprised or shocked in the slightest, she'd actually begun expecting it. She desperately wanted to help by giving Wyatt one of those witchy aneurysms, to help her father, but at the same time, she couldn't stand the thought. She chewed on her lip a little nervously, and mulled it over, finally coming to the decision that she could do that for her father, she could protect him. But - she vowed only to do so if there was no other option, or if Wyatt tried to escape again. Her head pounded at the struggle.

Wyatt would have been surprised by Klaus' attack on him, except he wasn't at all. He'd dared think for a second that he might just get away with it, Hope being all over her father a possible distraction enough to prevent him from stopping Wyatt - but no. He gasped a little at the pressure on his throat, struggling to try and push up and get away from Klaus' vice-like grip, but to no avail. He finally gave in, staring at Klaus vacantly, sweat pooling on his brow and neck, the humanity inside him flickering but not quite turning itself on again. He flinched hard, just staring up at the hybrid, waiting for his next move; there was something final about Klaus' word to him, perhaps because of the compulsion. He was still under the stronger man's choking grip.

Klaus finally began to loosen up his grip while he eyed Wyatt like Klaus was a cheetah and Wyatt was his next prey that was trying to escape. For a moment it seemed like he had enough power in his body and anger in his mind to twist his and forward and counterclockwise he would have napped his neck. It took a moment for Klaus to fully register what he was doing and how it would effect anyone everyone involved with the situation, not just himself- and he slowly but surely finally let go of Wyatt. With slow and staggered feet he walked over to the door, a look in his eyes of nothing as his jaw trembled; was it anger? Was he actually upset enough to show everyone else? He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, letting out a loud cough before looking at Hope with a look that not even he could explain.

Wyatt stayed where he was, lying still and staring up at the cold, damp ceiling, chest heaving as he did so. His eyes had a faraway look in them, though at the same time he was noticing every crack and rough patch of the wearing concrete. He absently lifted a hand to his face, wiping his forehead briefly before letting his hand drop limply to his chest, and just lay there breathing. What was the use in trying to escape now? Niklaus would only stop him again.

Hope watched her father leave, her mouth hung open slightly, her face shocked and panicked, how could he leave her? How could he leave her so vulnerable? A part of her commented on how it was like a lion's den, and Klaus leaving was like the lion tamer leaving his inexperienced assistant alone to face the lions. She inhaled sharply and started to back away from Wyatt, pulling on her powers to completely silence her presence, so that he couldn't hear her heartbeat, he couldn't smell her, and for a short time, he couldn't see her. This was what one would call her last resort, honestly, she hadn't even considered how worn out she was from the last use of her powers, which hadn't been all that long ago. She definitely wasn't recovered enough for this. Hope made her way along the wall until she was as far away from Wyatt as possible, all she could hope to manage to do now was lure him towards her and rely on her speed to swerve around him and make it past him out the door. She prayed he wouldn't stay down too long otherwise her plan would have no chance of working. She balled her hands up into fists and waited, tensed and ready.

Wyatt let his arm fall from his chest once more and hit the concrete with a dull thunk, an elongated sigh drawing its way out through his nose. He rolled his neck and shoulders a little, head lolling against the concrete uncomfortably but he barely noticed the sound or feel of his skull knocking against the floor's bumps as he stretched out his limbs with a little mewling noise and a small huff, his joints popping and cracking pleasantly, relieving some of the tension in his body. He was hungry. Really, really hungry. But Klaus was right outside the door. Idly, he looked about the cellar for any possible escape routes but saw none. He growled under his breath. How on earth was he going to escape these bastards?

Hope cursed aloud, knowing he wouldn't be able to hear her just yet, but she could tell that it wouldn't hold much longer, and she shifted her stance into more of a defensive one, and skirted a bit further away from Wyatt, her eyes on him, her breathing shallow although he couldn't hear her. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she just knew that this would not end well for her. Why was she such a pushover? Why did she trust so easily? She was the biggest fool she knew, and her father had clearly been able to see it. Maybe that's why he'd left her here, maybe she'd finally shamed him enough for him to give up. Hope whimpered at the thought of him being disgusted with her, and immediately afterwards, her precious spell broke, and she was once again, left vulnerable to someone she couldn't imagine hurting.

Wyatt sat up slowly and glared at Klaus' back, before suddenly he could hear that familiar pulse and that tempting scent drifted under his nose once again. All his focus was immediately gone from the hybrid, placed instead on the tribrid as he flung up to his feet and whirled around on the spot, staring at her where she stood across the room from him, her back practically melding and becoming one with the wall as she shrunk away from him in fear. This? This was another thing that was sick about Wyatt - the ripper enjoyed the fear, was all the more tempted by it; it was a power play for the sociopath, and it got him reeling. He didn't move, though. Didn't know why he wasn't moving, either. Just stood and stared at her, as if the idea of damaging her was something to tease his imagination with rather than to pursue. And wasn't that just strange?

Hope's breath caught in her throat, and she opened her mouth in some kind of unspoken horror , she shook her head numbly. She couldn't accept that this was her fate. Twenty years of searching for her identity and family, only for it to be all for nothing no more than a few weeks later, at the hands of someone she truly cared about. Hope decided suddenly that she wouldn't go down without a fight, and she would at least try to do her father proud, no matter what he thought of her now. And so, she simply exhaled, unclenching her fists, and relaxed her posture, staring unrelentingly back at Wyatt, with tear filled eyes. Wyatt tipped his head to the side a little, staring at Hope with a slightly arched eyebrow, eyes fixated on her, unblinking; he was... taunting her, almost - in fact, no, he was definitely taunting her. Like a predator taunts its defenseless prey in the moment before it's about to pounce, knowing that it could not escape. But Wyatt didn't pounce. He didn't step forward, didn't twitch, didn't even lick his lips in anticipation. No. He simply stood there and watched her. He felt as if he couldn't move. Wanted to, but something made him feel rooted to the spot.

Hope jerked her head a little, flicking her hair out of her face, taking a shaky breath as she did so. She realised he was just as fixed to the spot as she was, and decided to test the waters a little. Her plan could still work. She no longer had the element of surprise, but that had never been a huge advantage, as Wyatt was much faster and much stronger. She hesitated a little before taking a tiny step to the right, never taking her eyes off of Wyatt. Hope ducked her head a little, bringing her eyebrows down slightly as she did so,

"There's a freezer full of blood, out there." She stated, quietly. It was a small chance that he would accept that offer, and honestly, she was lying to herself about the chances. It was next to impossible. But then again, he may be caught off guard, and that could just tip the odds in her favour for escape.

Wyatt gave Hope an unimpressed look, eyes trailing her body briefly before returning to her face once more, his eyes meeting hers, gaze penetrating.

"I can still read your mind, love," he drawled, voice rough and low from days spent screaming, crying and nothing else; words felt like rusty bolts against the tender skin of his oesophagus, but he continued on. "I know you're planning an escape," he said lowly, "and I know you're terrified of me because you know, tribrid or not, that you're physically weaker than me." He glanced at the freezer of blood bags, before he slowly turned his focus back to Hope once more. "Your father, however, is right outside. Do you honestly think I'm stupid? Man could kill me in a second. I happen to enjoy my undead life."

Hope huffed a little,

"True, but I have managed to at least delay the possible death by a bit." She shrugged, tersely. Hope tried to keep her mind clear, and shifted her gaze from Wyatt, knowing that he was right about Klaus. However, that did not mean by a long shot that she could trust him. No way in hell. She dragged her tongue slowly across her lower lip as she preoccupied herself with examining the walls.

Klaus had only been at the top of the stairs the entire time time, listening to them go back -and forth with their staring and deceiving looks to make the other feel some type of way. When he walked out he had walked out and away from the situation, he was handing the power back over to his daughter, to see if she had learned anything in the past time they had spent with Wyatt, and when he heard her speak of the freezer; she was either the stupidest girl in the world or trickiest girl in the universe. Once he heard Wyatt finally respond, he nodded and settled on trickiest, even though it was pointed out that it needed a bit of polishing, letting the deadly smirk travel onto his lips, before standing once more, his arms falling by his sides; is this where he intruded? He gave her one more chance and just stood on the stairs.

Wyatt took a slow, deliberate step backwards, arching his eyebrows at Hope in a challenging manner; this was fun for the ripper. This was sport. Toying with his prey. Playing games with it. Testing it. It showed in the way he cocked his head, sadistic grin gleaming and giving off an aura that felt entirely wrong. That grin, however, soon slid off his face, slow like seeping cement, and he knew, he knew the weight of his intentions would surely feel like a boulder in her stomach, that fear would solidify in her system, as his face took on the true form of a vampire, fangs creeping down from his gums. Hope had no idea what to do next, so she followed her instincts and her gut. She asked herself what her father would do, and so, she stood her ground, holding her head high. She narrowed her eyes at Wyatt and shook her head stiffly,

"You wouldn't." She snapped at him, still shaking her head, however her eyes flitted to the door, and immediately she knew that was a grave error. Hope clenched her jaw and slid into a defensive stance once more, tilting her head and flashing her wolf eyes at him. She knew this was probably not the wisest thing, but she was just following what she'd seen her father and her aunt do in the past. She was highly inexperienced with all of this,

"You touch me and you die. You know that." She hissed at him, greatly emphasising the one word. The next moment, her father was in front of her, taking over the situation.

It was the most bone chilling sound he had ever heard for some strange reason. The sound of Wyatt's fangs appraising and pushing past his gums would have given any human chills if they could hear it as vividly as Klaus had. Klaus slowly made his way over to the room with only his eyes showing his hybrid aspects, standing next to Hope in the doorway. How in the hell was he supposed to grab an emotion in sociopathic vampire with no emotions whatsoever? He walked in front of Hope and into the room, staring Wyatt down, it seems like he had been doing that a lot recently, "What do you want?"

Wyatt eyed the two of them, both such wolves at heart, a sick grin coming over his face. The two of them, they'd taken stance in front of him, and wasn't that oh so convenient for the ripper? Oh, yes, considering he was closest to the door. He took a slow, deliberate step back, enjoying the game he was playing with them, a thrill to his instincts, the ones that taunted and ripped flesh and swallowed blood greedily like a human necked bottles of water in cloying heat. He felt like he was prancing almost, despite standing still. Why hadn't he turned it off already? This was so much easier than walking around feeling like a ticking time bomb awaiting its irrefutable implosion, constantly buzzing out of his skin with the weight of repressed guilt and haunting horrors in the shadows of his mind, feeling empty in an entirely different way to the emptiness he had at this very moment. Wyatt looked at Klaus sharply and tilted his head.

"I don't want anything from you," he spat. "You can't clean up your mess, Nik," he hissed at the hybrid. "I'm not a body you can clean up from your floor and bury in the woods, wolfboy. Whatever happens? It's on you. Because I am starving now, and I think I saw some teenagers last week that needed some of their ego sucking out of them." In a flash, he'd taken off up the stairs, only to find his daylight ring was gone. Oh joyful. How had he not noticed that? He hissed and crouched against the wall in the shadows.

Even though those words cut him deep he maintained his fighting stance and his sharp look as Wyatt talked to him and within seconds Wyatt was gone, it was in a literal blink of an eye and Niklaus began to regret handing the decision over to his daughter. But it was okay, most of The Compound was windows and outdoor courts, and Wyatt didn't have his daylight ring. There were also only so many places for him to hide in the house before he eventually got caught, meaning he would be caught within seconds. Klaus walked up the stairs in a quick, humanlike manner, knowing that Wyatt wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. Once he reached the stairs where Wyatt was, he gave him a quick look before pulling him up by the collar of his shirt, "If we can't get you to feel sympathy nor empathy, maybe we can try something else," he growled while dragging Wyatt into the kitchen, the drapes pulled together to keep the sun from shining in. He didn't know who it would hurt more: Wyatt, Hope or himself? He pulled back one of the drapes and held Wyatt off to the side before grabbing his hand tightly and pushing it into the sun for a couple seconds, "Come on, get angry. Feel something, for the sake of everyone." Again. He pushed Wyatt's hand into the sun's heating rays, holding it a couple seconds longer before pulling it away. He needed him to feel angry, helpless, something. Even hate. If it was hate for Klaus that switched on his humanity, he'd take it then having no emotion Wyatt any day, for the sake of Hope.

Hope had been dumbstruck, watching the exchange between them, and then keeping up with their movements. They ended up in the kitchen, and upon realising what Klaus was planning on doing, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Hope tried to stifle the choked out sob, but there was nothing left of her concentration that didn't already belong to them. She bared watching Wyatt scream in pain for all of four seconds, before stepping forward and begging for her father to stop,

"Stop! Just stop. This isn't the way." She pleaded desperately.

Wyatt gritted his teeth, trying his best to bare it, but soon enough a scream tore out of him, right from deep in his chest, and he lashed out at Klaus in an attempt to free himself, slamming a fist into the hybrid's face, eyes blood-black. In his wildly aggressive flailing, coupled with a solid punch, he'd managed to send himself and Klaus tumbling to the floor, away from the sunlight, and there he tried to squirm away from the hybrid, fangs piercing into his own mouth in his haste, body jerking with the surprise of the pain flooding his system and the taste and sensation of his own blood filling his mouth. He scooted back and looked up at Klaus with glistening eyes and a bloodied face as the hybrid sprung to his feet once more, his knees drawn up to his chest. He was nearly there, there was something but it wasn't enough. Not yet. Not nearly enough. The sound of Hope's desperate crying pleas fell on deaf ears.

Niklaus listened to how his daughter begged for him to stop, but he needed to snap Wyatt out of the situation he had put them in as he held Wyatt against the counter his eyes were closed and a single tear began to fall from his eye before he was hit out of nowhere, almost knocking the actual wind out of him before himself and another body were thrown onto the floor, He through himself into a crouched position almost immediately after he was on the floor, looking down at Wyatt with eyes of a mixture of anger, sadness and disbelief with a tight jaw. He went and grabbed Wyatt by his throat just as he did earlier and looked him in the eyes, not particularly choking him, but holding him in a position that showed his superiority and dominance as his fangs came out and he licked over them once, the thought crossing his mind, but immediately dismissing itself, knowing that Hope would never forgive him if he did it.

Hope knew that her voice and presence was useless in this whole thing, no one listened to her. Her feelings and actions didn't matter. She wasn't powerful or experienced enough in fighting to make a difference, and she was easily manipulated. She backed up until her back hit the kitchen wall, and slid down it, she was now in a crouch, tears streaming down her cheeks, she brought a hand to her mouth, and refused to watch what was happening. Wyatt wiped his mouth roughly with his sleeves, ridding himself of blood, even going as far as to lick traces of it away. His head slammed back into the counter and his eyes were forced shut with the intensity of the impact as his jaw dropped and he fell open-mouthed, a pained wheeze escaping him as he struggled a little against Klaus' sudden death-grip on his throat, before he opened his eyes once more and gritted his teeth together. He let out a pitiful noise, staring up at Klaus with agony shadowing his eyes. His chest began to constrict with the weight of something that felt a lot like pain - not just this physical torture, but emotional harrowing.

Klaus blocked out Hope knowing that if he was to let himself listen to her crying and hatred of the situation he would no longer be able to keep himself composed long enough to help Wyatt the way he had intentionally planned. Wyatt's hand flew out at him as he tried to grab at Niklaus neck only causing Niklaus to keep Wyatt against the wall, squeezing at his neck a bit harder now. He pulled Wyatt back away from the wall and closer to him before slamming him into the wall once more, looking into his eyes, "Feel something, dammit," whispered Klaus, his eyes wide as he let the tears trickle down his cheeks and quickly hit the floor.

Wyatt stared at Klaus imploringly for a long moment, a moment that felt suspended in time almost; he felt pinned by Klaus' intense stare more than the hand at his throat - which proved to be something of a challenge to breathe normally when his neck was being clutched so tightly. His nostrils flared a little as he took a deep inhale, sputtering slightly in the back of his throat. And then a loud, unmistakable thump sounded from within his chest as he started to shake a little. He blinked, eyelids and lashes fluttering madly, and sunk his fangs into his mouth yet again, an increasingly common coping mechanism recently, desperately trying to fight off any sort of feeling - but what was it that Katherine had once said? Humanity was a vampire's greatest weakness. Wyatt's gaze flickered downward as tears spilled from his eyes, bottom lip being drawn up into his mouth as his body tensed. Hope realised this was the one point where she could make a positive difference, she appeared just infront of Klaus' right shoulder, and cupped Wyatt's cheek, gently, she gazed straight up and into his eyes, silently imploring. She didn't even try to stem the flow of tears as she just let everything she felt for him flood into her thoughts, knowing he would be able to read it. She knew this was the one thing she could do and have a chance at getting right, and now was the perfect moment. She brought her other hand up to stroke his hair off of his forehead,

"Wyatt." She said, in a hushed calling, hoping it would reach him, and anchor him back to who he was.

Klaus looked at Wyatt with tears now just pouring down his face, not letting himself hold back from the agony it was causing him to be so aggressive with his, well, best friend. "Let me help you," he watched as Hope stood in front of him and stepped back, choking a bit on the lump in his throat from the true crying he hadn't done for anyone but family in so long, but in all truth, Wyatt was family. "If you don't want me helping you, let her help you," he whispered before disappearing into the court that was just outside the door from the kitchen. Leaning against the wall, running his hands through his hair quickly, tears falling faster than he intended, pulling his hair hard to get a grip.

Wyatt inhaled sharply, eyes lost and expression open and vulnerable as both Mikaelson's thoughts filtered through his head without there being any possible way for him to prevent it at that point, not having the control over his own body that he needed to stop it. He shivered and trembled as he glanced down into empty space, hearing Klaus' words in a fuzzy way. He didn't want the hybrid to go, but he didn't want him to stay either - he didn't know what he felt, he was going out of his mind. In that moment, all he knew was the girl he cared about was pouring her heart and soul out to him silently and it was all he could do to throw his arms around her in a quick, desperate movement and pull her in against his chest,clinging onto her for dear life as if she were the only thing that could anchor him and prevent him from floating away into insanity, burying his face in her hair, eyelashes fluttering.

Hope inhaled sharply as he moved suddenly towards her, but then he was holding her, and after a few stunned seconds, she slowly brought her arms up to wrap around him, too. Her mouth held open in shock, until she swallowed, and let it close, unconsciously. She nestled her face into his shoulder and clung onto him for dear life. The amount of relief she was feeling was always immediately cancelled out by the sheer volume of guilt she held inside herself. She did this to him, essentially. She knew that it would be much less painful for Wyatt to keep his humanity off, but to be honest, she was too selfish to let him go. Especially to let him go on with hating and torturing himself, she needed to bring some light into his life. She needed to heal him.

Wyatt shivered against her, almost violently, as if he'd caught a terrible fever, and there seemed to be no end in sight to it. He shook and quivered, hysteric sobs guttering out of his chest - he knew how sick in the head he was, knew it well, and it felt like his body were finally deciding to put it on display, having him break out in a full-bodied, cold sweat that had him squirming fitfully in Hope's grasp, throat sounding raw and every breath he took had a quality to it that made it sound as though he'd suffered a puncture in his windpipe. He couldn't help it when he screamed out, muffling the sound into Hope's shoulder, biting down with human teeth, not really thinking about anything other than trying to cling onto something, needing to have control and coming nowhere close to getting it. Klaus listened to how silent it was except a few tears falling here and there, other than that, silence. He wanted to give the couple the time they needed to mend things and hopefully he had helped enough that Hope can finally be the last straw in him switching his humanity back on. There was so much running through his head at the moment that he didn't know what to think nor do next. He was a bit angry with himself for reasons too long to listen. He was a bit proud of himself for being able to control himself more than his father ever could in these kinds of situations. He was even a bit relieved that he was able to just cry it out for a second, but this would he the last time for a long time, at least he had hoped. Once he heard the silence turn into commotion he was immedtiately on his feet and flashing into the kitchen, his eyes betraying him at what he was witnessing, grabbing to pull Hope away from Wyatt.

Hope tried to get herself out of his grasp as he started to squirm, not wanting to give him the feeling of suffocation and cause him to fly into a full on panic attack. The thing was he wouldn't let her, she tried to gently push herself away from him, and then she tried a lot harder, but his grip was unbreakable. She cried out as she felt his head bury into her shoulder, biting down with human teeth, which still hurt, might she add, as he was centuries old and not in control of his strength at all. Hope gave a relieved gasp at the feeling of being ripped painfully away from him, she clung to her father's arm, falling at his feet. Wyatt had no real understanding of what was going on, and only instead clung to his knees as they drew to his chest and bit down into his own arm roughly, his fangs dropping and gripping it in an unforgiving vice. He screamed a little, unused to feeling so much, especially at once, body juddering almost violently as he hyperventilated against the torn open flesh of his arm, blood slipping over his skin and staining his jeans - not that it made much difference to them, for they were already clogged and stiff with blood and dirt from the cellar. He rocked a little, and his balled-up figure fell to the side where he hit his head but seemingly didn't register the feel of it, only trying to curl in further on himself as if he could somehow escape everything by becoming as small as possible.

Hope tried to protest what Wyatt was doing, but there were no words. She was just too overwhelmed. Instead, she gave him the briefest of aneurysms to give him a shock and stop him from hurting himself further. Seeing that it had worked for now, she relaxed the tiniest bit, and went to move back over to him, struggling against her father's grip and failing, reaching earnestly for Wyatt's broken form. Wyatt screamed out as his head was suddenly overtaken with the feeling of exploding, like his brain had set itself on fire. His hands immediately threw themselves up to his head as he clutched at his hair and skull desperately, before finally the feeling disappeared and he collapsed uselessly onto his front, taking deep, shaky breaths.

Niklaus held onto Hope with more of a strong grip than he intended to at first, only wanting to keep her from getting herself hurt or needing to hurt Wyatt more than she already was by even the slightest of aneurysms. He brushed her off to the side, but not in an aggressive way nor in a way that would harm her much unless he had been absentminded about the kind of strength he was using on her, but just enough so she would be to the side and he could walk over to Wyatt without Hope getting in the way of it. It was as if Wyatt was a new vampire and no one was there to teach him the proper ways of doing things. It was also as if Wyatt was a child and he didn't know how to take care of himself. Klaus reached out slowly, almost reluctantly, and placed his hand on Wyatt's head, stroking his hair back as his mother used to do to him whenever his father would beat him, it was the only way he knew how to comfort someone.

Wyatt jerked a little as Niklaus' touch at first, before he slowly let himself relax into it. His eyes closed heavily as he curled up slightly, just resting, trying to take each breath as it came steadily and evenly, though his body still quivered uncontrollably. He moved onto his side and tucked his knees upwards, before managing to shuffle himself upwards into a position where he was upright and leaning back against the counter, seemingly trying to press himself as far back against it, Klaus' hand falling to his chest as he stared off over the hybrid's shoulder. Klaus peeked over his shoulder a bit to see his daughter still shuffled off to the side as she watched them, his eyes trailing around her before he let his gaze drop to the floor, his hand still on Wyatt's chest. He let himself squeeze Wyatt's shoulder, in a reassuring manner, before he got up and moved to the side, but still in between them not knowing how to go about letting Hope and Wyatt be with each other without him going crazy again. He could throw him in the cellar again until he had final control over his humanity again, but that would probably only hurt him more mentally. He could always keep Wyatt's daylight ring and make him stay at The Compound to keep a close eye on him. Maybe that's what he'd do.

Hope gave an exhausted sigh, slumping against the nearest part of the kitchen counter, resting her head against it, her eyes trailing away and to the floor, where she started to trace along the tiled floor. She spared Wyatt and Klaus the occasional glance, her hearing fixed entirely on them, truthfully, she didn't know what to do anymore, and it seemed like all she did was continue to make the situation worse. She decided that, for now, it would be much better if she just stayed out of it and let her father deal with it, like she should have left him to do in the first place.

Wyatt's eyes moved about the room before they fell on Hope. He simply looked at her for a moment, the way her hair fell into her face, and how her eyes were downcast, before he glanced away. His eyes landed on Klaus who was still at his side, before he sighed heavily and looked forward. His head was an incoherent mess of thoughts, feelings and memories he couldn't quite decipher, and they were on the brink of sending him over the edge. He found himself staring at the tiniest of marks on a skirting board at the bottom of the wall that was across from him, all of his senses narrowed down to that one dark scuff mark against the smooth wood of the board. Anything else had been dulled out.

Once he finally decided on keeping Wyatt's daylight ring he sat beside him, his back pressed against the wall. He didn't look at anyone, his eyes distraught and his face quite neutral given the circumstances. "You know, when we first met back in the 1890's, I thought you were just some low life who was going to try and use me for my powers," he scoffed with an almost laugh, shaking his head, "Another man to come and sweep Rebekah off of her feet." The day played in his mind like it was a rerun of his favorite television show, "I even thought you were working for my father at one point." He ran his palm against the floor, feeling how his hand just glided over it with no dust appearing on his hand, "That's what every other man wanted, why not you? But no. Once Marcel, Rebekah and Elijah left, you stayed. You helped me search for Katherine as we dominated the world."

Wyatt slowly averted his attention from the scuff on the skirting board as Niklaus spoke and turned his head to look at the hybrid. His expression was blank in a way that spoke of a deep-rooted agony, the kind of blankness that spoke of being simply exhausted with the effort of living any longer. He listened to Klaus speak with a vague interest, nodding ever so slightly to show that he was taking in what the man was saying but never once parting his lips to speak, just sitting there, remaining silent. He licked his lips, a small furrow coming to his brow as Klaus spoke of his suspicions of him at first - it wasn't like he hadn't known, however. But the memory of Klaus' scrutiny had been blurred by time, now coming to vivid life once more as the hybrid talked of it. He waited as Niklaus finished his sentence, expecting there was more to this. Klaus went to speak but instead closed his mouth as he shook his head at the memory, kicking his legs out in front of him to stretch a bit before crossing them, his hands folding on his lap, his right thumb crossed on top of the right one. "You stood with me for 12 years, you've seen me at my lowest moments, looking for Katherine, hiding from my father, helping me rekindle with my siblings even though they had every single right to hate me, you helped them see past that." Klaus had said a lot of bad things about Wyatt when Hope had first brought up his name. It was like his name created a cold sweat on the bottom of his neck as he thought about the old times they had spent together and how Wyatt had many reasons to hate him. "You stood here not too long ago and called me a good friend, I call you my brother," he continued and then pointed at Hope, "And I've entrusted you with one of the only things I would ever die for."

Wyatt listened to Klaus' words while also sorting through the hybrid's thoughts. He took a shallow breath as he nodded, recalling to mind all the times in which Klaus was bringing up. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, brow furrowing deeply as he bit down onto it, toying with it. When Klaus pointed over at Hope, he followed the direction of the man's finger and his eyes fell on Hope once more. He wanted to feel better at the sight of her, desperately wanted to, but right now nothing was making him feel okay again. The memories, her, Klaus - nothing was working to make things okay again. He may have been silent, but inside he was screaming, enduring an agony that no words could vouch for. He was drowning over and over again, and there seemed no end in sight. Klaus waved Hope over with his fingers, reaching his hand out once she finally reached him, gently pulling her down to sit between himself and Wyatt, letting her get comfortable between two men who he knew cared deeply about her, whether their humanities were off or not. Her small palm in his hand made him close his eyes and think back to when she was only just a baby and he had held her whenever he had gotten the chance to, whether he was drenched in blood or just quickly stopping by to read her a bedtime story. So many years lost. He kissed her fingertips gently before grabbing one of Wyatt's hands and he took a deep breath, his face almost in a pained expression. He had said he would let it happen before, but this time was different. He laid their hands together, watching as their hands intertwined, closing his hand around it, nodding his head.

Hope followed her father's silent instructions wordlessly, a little confused. She lit up at the affection in his eyes, and gave him a loving smile, her eyes big and shiny and adoring. She squeezed his hand absentmindedly, trying to figure out what he could be thinking, right before he did the last thing she expected him to, and placed her hand with Wyatt's. Hope automatically fit her hand easily into his, something she was used to and found boundless comfort in. She frowned down at their hands, still confused, and watched her father nod tiredly. And he really did look tired, she screwed her mouth up a little, sad for her father. He went through so much, but always managed to maintain such a perfect facade that no-one but herself and Wyatt ever noticed it wearing on him. She placed her other hand on her father's cheek affectionately, giving him a small smile and willing him to be able to smile genuinely again. She turned her attention back to Wyatt, and watched for his reaction, her heart pounding in her chest.

Wyatt blinked a little tiredly as he watched Klaus' ministrations with something akin to curiosity in his eyes. The interaction between father and daughter would have been heartwarming if he were a functioning being, but as it was - he was not, not even when he was his usual self. Still, though, he could appreciate the sight in a secondary way. He startled, very slightly, at the touch of Klaus' hand on his, and then the feel of Hope's palm resting against his own, her fingers lacing through his. He stared down at their joined hands vacantly, a sick feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite understand. Eventually, he curled his fingers over, fingertips resting on the back of her hand as he assented to the touch. Klaus gave his daughter a small grin, not intentionally showing how drained he was, although maybe she had learned so much about him in the little time that they were together that she could just understand it. He turned his head a bit and kissed the hand that was on his cheek, leaning his head back enough so it was only partially on the wall behind them, taking in a deep breath before exhaling a deep sigh, the breath hot and humid due to the fact he had taken the deep breath to hide a yawn. Even though vampires never actually got tired, he was worn down truth be told. He hadn't had time to relax in as long as he could remember, it was finally taking its toll. He gave their hands a tight squeeze before beginning to slowly move his hand away, standing up to move away from them, leaning down and kissing Hope's head and leaning down, grabbing Wyatt by the back of his neck, looking into his eyes, "Be well soon, brother."

Wyatt played absently at drumming his fingertips along the back of Hope's hand, oblivious to the small interactions between father and daughter going on next to him despite being so close to the two of them. At Klaus' yawn, he glanced up, snapping into focus once more, and turned his head to look at the man. The word "brother" rang through his head, and his heart gave an almighty thump for somebody who was undead. He watched as Klaus kissed Hope's head, only to find himself being clasped at the neck. Instinctively, he lifted his head a little to look up at Klaus and met his deep gaze. As Klaus spoke, Wyatt simply nodded a little. Hope smiled at her father's gestures, and then turned back to watching Wyatt, anxiously. The fact that he was so casually drumming his fingers on her hand worked to soothe her a little, but not enough. She had been so relieved and had felt safe in his arms the last time he had held her, and in the next moment he had been biting her. She licked her lips and cleared her throat apprehensively, ducking her head to stare at their hands on the floor between them, her hair falling like a curtain to frame her face,

"How do you feel?" She asked, and then instantly realised how stupid that was. What a ridiculous question to ask. She pondered over what else she could have said before correcting herself,

"What do you need me to do?" She adjusted her question. Wyatt slowly turned to look at her and shrugged his shoulders lamely. There were no words for the catastrophe of feelings inside of him; he couldn't quite transfer them all into one single emotion like what was best to do in moments like these - not yet. His memory was a little fuzzy around the edges, actually. He remembered pain, blinding pain, and a lot of smashed glass and raised voices screeching into the night; he remembered the sudden swamp of emptiness, Klaus' dilated pupils staring into his own, and then a blur of something before he woke up in the cellar, days of blacking in and out of consciousness and overwhelming physical pain. He cleared his throat a little and licked his lips, frowning, and his voice was raw from disuse when he asked,

"What happened?"

Hope's face set into a state of worry and something that was almost grief, as she thought back over everything that had happened. She sighed and shifted to face him, placing a second hand on top of their already joined ones,

"You... I'm not sure what happened, exactly. Klaus said it was a PTSD episode. You were screaming and reliving something... horrific," She disclosed, leaning a little closer to him as she spoke, reluctant to remember the things she'd seen upon trying to get inside his mind the other day, "I saw some of it, and we tried to get you out of it, but nothing was working. Dad took the only path he saw before him, and he..." She paused, swallowing lightly and licking her lips as she tried to think how to best phrase this, "He turned your humanity off." She finished, "It was a last resort, Wyatt. We didn't know what else to do..." She cast her eyes downwardly, sadly, remembering how he'd looked in those infamous chains, "Klaus was trying his... special method to try and bring you back, but I found you, and I disagreed with it. He told me to do what I thought was best, and so, I freed you. I gave you blood." She refused to look at him as she told him what she had done, too ashamed, "I'm so sorry, Wyatt. This is my fault." She whispered, shaking her head slowly.

Wyatt stared at Hope as she recounted that past week or so to him, and he nodded in a robotic manner as he listened to her. Hearing it all re-played, he could almost feel the terror taking over him again. In a flash, he was up on his feet and on the other side of the room. Anger. That was good. That was a way to channel all this confusion. A sudden, blinding rage took hold of him and he felt his fists crack under the pressure of how tightly he'd clenched them, jaw setting in a hard line. He stared blankly into the open space, the rage inside of him feeling like fire blanketing his organs, seeping through his veins like molten lava, and a tick went off in his jaw, nostrils flaring, as his eyes took on that familiar expression of bloodlust and vengeance.

Hope slammed her mouth shut, her jaw setting, and her eyes narrowing. She jumped up to a crouch immediately, eyes tensed on Wyatt's back, waiting for his next move. She could practically feel the fury rolling off him in waves, and her palm tingled vaguely from where he had yanked his hand from hers. Hope had no idea what she was supposed to do, now, but one thing she did know was that she was quickly growing tired of having to defend herself against her almost boyfriend. She figured it must just be something about her that sets him off, and wished she could just go back to remaining left out of the situation, while Klaus expertly dealt with it. Hope had no clue how to deal with this Wyatt, as much as she cared for him, and wanted to help him, she couldn't help wondering if it would be better for him to leave his humanity off, and avoid going through all of this. All of the trauma, and the pain, all relived, every time he had to turn his feelings back on. It wasn't fair on him. He was damaged enough. Wyatt stood stiffly, still like a statute, entire body a line of tension from head to toe, back muscles clenched considerably. His fangs dropped down and he turned around to face her, taking his time doing so, eyes blackened completely as he looked at her. He filtered through her thoughts and a sharp laugh tore out of him, the kind of sinister thing that chilled a person to their very core.

"Exactly," he said to her. "People think they know it all about me, that I'm just a cruel bastard with no heart," he bit out, taking a slow, deliberate step forward, "but they know nothing about what I've done, what I've seen, what I've been through. And then they expect me to "learn" to be good? Really?" He hissed a little as he spoke, his incredulity showing through the up-rise of his venomous tone, words spoken sharply, lethal. "All that pain, and what've I got to show for it?" He questioned her, giving her no time to respond before he continued on. "Nothing. Nothing! So you tell me," he sniffed a little, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he tilted his head up. "What's the point in being good?"

Hope had started to rise slowly from her crouched position, eyes trained warily on him. She felt her heartrate spike, and knew he could hear it too, but didn't let it bother her. He always knew exactly how she felt about everything, anyway, so there was no point trying to hide it. She had now fully straightened out her posture, and was standing, her head tilted slightly to look up at him, meeting his eyes. She said nothing as he talked, feeling weirdly calm. But then again, maybe it was just the calm before the storm. Hope took a deep, shaky breath as he neared her, and his words chilled her, to her very core, but she tried to remain composed, although she was visibly trembling, at this point, and she shook her head,

"I don't want you to be good. You're not good, you're just not, and that's okay, Wyatt." She began, her tone a little pleading, "You owe these people nothing. Don't change who you are."

Wyatt glared at Hope a little, tilting his head as he eyed her. He could hear the skitter of her pulse as it rocketed with fear, the thumping beats of her heart, and even scent her fear. It was intoxicating, pulling the ripper inside of him to the surface. He couldn't think nor see clearly beyond the way her carotid artery fluttered under the tender flesh of her neck, felt like he was being washed downriver in a flow of her blood as the sound of it circulating her body swam through his ear canals. He wasn't just angry, the ripper part of him taking over as he let out a weird hissish growlish noise escape him and he launched at Hope, not knowing her anymore, he was hungry. There was no register for who she was right now, no sort of recognition within Wyatt. When the ripper took over him, that was all he was in that instant - a ripper. Bloodthirsty. Hungry. A craving so intense that he could never stop it, and it didn't matter whose blood it was, or where the blood was coming from - vampire, human, werewolf, witch, hunter. It simply didn't matter. There were no boundaries in these moments, and before he could snap himself out of it, realise what he was doing, Wyatt lunged for her and sunk his fangs into her neck.

Klaus had been in the living room when all of the talking had begun, he was completely out of tune with what was happening, he didn't realize that the tone of the conversation had been frenzied and agitated. His body felt as if it was finally coming to peace and he was able to relax for just a few seconds, the bottle of scotch at his lips as he took a sip and letting his eyes fall shut. After a bit into their conversation he began to listen carefully, hearing Wyatt let his tears roll down his cheek and Hope trying to keep herself composed. He listened in on how Wyatt hated trying to be good and it hurt his mind to think Wyatt actually thought this way. He listened to Hope blame herself for all that was happening now and that tore his soulless soul into shreds. And then it was quiet. Even though the silence only lasted a second, it was an eerie peaceful, and then the sound of fangs launching themselves into flesh. Klaus flashed into the kitchen, his face pale at the sight before him, not able to control himself, the ripper part of him taking over as he let out a weird strangled, growlish noise escape him and he launched at Wyatt.

Hope had only just managed to let out a loud gasp before he had lunged for her, and initially, she struggled against him, beating at his chest, her eyes wide and panicked, her mouth falling slack as she felt the life draining from her, and she eventually let her arms fall helplessly, her mouth open in a silent scream. Hope whimpered out a halfhearted sob, and she clutched to Wyatt, to avoid falling, she was so weak now, it was like falling asleep, just more final. She was so tired. Hope's mind drifted to her father, and a rush of affection and sorrow bombarded her, tears rolling down her cheeks, realising that if she were to die, she would have left the world without saying goodbye to him. But then, there he was, she recognised his growl immediately, and suddenly, painfully, Wyatt had been ripped off her, along with some of the flesh from her neck. Hope dropped to the floor.

Wyatt let out an almighty snarl as he was ripped away from his feed, struggling against the death grip something had on him. He was completely out of his mind, head a speeding blur of blood and rage and desperation; panic once again began to settle in at the feeling of being trapped, unable to break himself free, and he lashed out, thrashing violently against Niklaus, but of course to no avail - the hybrid was stronger, older, and extremely angry. But Wyatt had no recognition of anything in that moment, no idea who or what was on him. All he could define was the smothering sense of claustrophobia, the suffocating feel of hunger and panic mingled into one overwhelming emotion - terror. Everything was happening so quickly that there wasn't anytime to think about what would be the best solution, you just did what needed to be done. The smell of blood and the actual stench of emotion was giving him a migraine that he was pushing himself past.

Klaus was furious. That was the only way to describe the emotion running through him at the moment, but he didn't care about putting an emotion on it. He grabbed fistfuls of Wyatt's shirt, lifting Wyatt above himself before twisting a bit to slam Wyatt onto the floor, letting out another loud growl. His fangs became great friends with his neck, only a few centimeters apart, trying to control himself enough to not mar him with the bite.

Hope continued to sob silently on the floor, she was too drained to do much else, she was stuck lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, agonised. She readied herself as she heard the crazy commotion happening nearby, she let her head loll right, towards the floor, and that was when she saw Wyatt, pinned to the floor by Klaus, and she whimpered again, a frenzy of things presenting themselves to overwhelm her. She managed to push herself to fall, now laying on her side, she extended an arm towards them, weak as anything. She watched vacantly, her breathing shallow, it had been a lucky escape, and she doubted she would die, but she was certainly close to it.

Wyatt gasped audibly as Klaus slammed him to the ground, a pained moan escaping his lips as he tried to struggle away again. He thrashed some more, before he suddenly froze up in an instant as the dangerous scrape of fangs dragged over his throat. It was as if his instincts had been thrown into play and all of a sudden he knew very well what was above him - Niklaus, the hybrid, a man capable of poisoning him with just one bite. His mind warred with him, torn between fighting and submitting. He shivered slightly, the insistent press of fangs like a dare almost. He clenched his jaw, eyes falling shut as he debated on if he could fight this or not. Klaus breathed heavy on his neck in such a frightening way it even sent chills down his own spine. His body couldn't calm down and he didn't know how to make himself stop either. The fangs began to press down into Wyatt's neck, only just the surface, not enough to send the poison into his body and trigger the horrid reaction to vampires that the werewolf bite did to vampires, but it was definitely tempting. The fate of Wyatt rested in his own hands, not with Klaus, but with his own self. Every action has a consequence at the end of the day. "The choice remains yours," he hissed in his ear, his teeth pressed bare against the vein right behind his neck. Wyatt's eyes squeezed tightly as he bit down on his bottom lip, forcing himself to try and stay still as Klaus' fangs pierced his throat. He hissed in pain, body a rigid line of tension underneath the hybrid. His choice, Klaus had said to him. It was his choice. Did he submit or did he die? Wyatt wasn't one for submitting to anyone or anything, but then he also wasn't suicidal. With a shaky breath, he made his body relax, muscles becoming less tense as he did so, and slowly but surely tilted his head up and to the side, baring his neck to Nik in a sign of submission, giving up control - no matter how wrong and vulnerable it made him feel to do so - to the hybrid.

Klaus began to pull away from Wyatt, his eyes narrowed at him before hearing Hope continue to struggle on the floor not too far away from them. He looked between Wyatt and Hope, not knowing who to deal with first. The sociopath who needed to be handled before he hurts anyone, more so himself. Or his daughter? The young lady he just got back in his life that he would die for. Even though if it had been Wyatt and any other member of his family, maybe despite Rebekah, he would've chosen him, his daughter came first. In a flash he was by her side, kneeling back with her head in his lap, biting his wrist and pressing it to her lips, hoping that it'll at least effect the witch side of her to help her heal quicker, stroking her hair with a hard face, not letting sadness take over but more rage.

Wyatt let out a deep sigh as the hybrid released the pressure on his throat, not meeting his eyes as Klaus glared down at him. It was a relief when Nik disappeared from being next to him, and he swallowed thickly, slowly bringing his fingers up to his throat, lightly brushing his fingertips over the tiny puncture marks left behind as they started to heal beneath his very touch. He reluctantly turned his head to look at Klaus and Hope, could see the pain Hope was going through because of him, because of what he'd done. He glanced up at Klaus, whose murderous death stare was on him. He wanted to run, but he couldn't, he had no idea where his ring was. So instead of leaving the house as he wanted to, he got to his feet and stared down at the pair on the floor. A shaky exhale escaped his lips as the reality of what had happened settled in, and he began to quake, legs barely keeping him standing.

"I- I'm sorry," he managed, before he disappeared upstairs, the occasional singe of sunlight not even noticed as he sped away into the attic and slammed the door shut behind him, dropping down against its rickety wooden form.

Niklaus fed Hope to his wrist as long as she needed it to be, quickly pulling it away. He began to heal quickly, the once broken flesh now appearing as if nothing had happened to it, except the blood from her lips staining his skin. Klaus held his daughter close, one hand in her hair, pulling her to him pressing his lips to her temple with a shake of the head, his teeth gritted together. He never thought he would have to do that, feed his daughter her blood to save her. For once, ever since Mikael had died, Klaus was scared that he was going to lose one of the most important things to him, but she was better now. At least physically. His next worry was on Wyatt, as his brain always had been over the century they had spent lost from each other and that had been no one's fault but Niklaus'. "Are you okay?" he whispered to her, pulling away and looking into her eyes, his mind still wrapped around Wyatt. Hope nodded, a little dazed, she licked her dry lips,

"I... I think I'm going to go get some fresh air." She confided in a hushed tone, peering up at her father apologetically, "I'm so sorry. This was my fault." She whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek gently, and getting to her feet, within the transition to the next second, she was gone.

Wyatt drew his knees to his chest and held onto them tightly as if he could somehow anchor himself with his grip on his limbs. His eyes were vacant, tears spilling down his cheeks in incessant rivulets no matter how much he wanted them to stop, wanted to feel like his usual self again - vacant, disinterested, unaffected by pretty much anything. He longed to feel in control again, but control simply could not be attained in that moment. His breaths slowly began to grow shallower and shallower, his chest starting to ache as if a vice had gripped it, incoherent sputtering noises and cut off, choked up sobs working their way from deep within his throat as he began to lose his vision to an oxygen-deprived burn.


	7. Seven: Dinner at The Boarding House

Damon had told everyone that he wouldn't be able to leave the Boarding House today as he was finishing up some unpacking, so, they'd all decided that they would have dinner and spend time at the Boarding House while Damon worked, instead. He was currently by the front door, flattening boxes to take them to the trash. Wyatt wandered over to Damon with a small hum, eyeing the boxes before leaning down and taking a couple, joining his nephew in flattening them so they could be taken to the recycling. He glanced at Damon briefly before returning his attention to the task at hand, ripping tough corners so that the boxes would flatten more easily.

"Thanks," Damon said to Wyatt as he held the boxes under his arm and opened the door, walking outside and over to the recycling bin, forcing the boxes to fit. Hope beeped the horn of her car to alert them to the fact that she had arrived as she pulled up, turning the ignition off and hopping out, closing the door and strolling over to them, tucking the keys to the car in her pocket. She raised her eyebrows at them as she neared,

"Oh, look, it's the box club."

Wyatt nodded a little in acknowledgement and followed Damon outside, shoving his armful into the bin and punching them down into it. He glanced over his shoulder at Hope as she arrived, arching an eyebrow at her comment.

"Is that a reference I'm supposed to understand?" He questioned her, wandering over to her and placing a kiss on her cheek. Damon grinned at the sight of his new friend, giving her a small wave of acknowledgement, putting the lid on the recycling bin. Klaus had just walked into the house, blood running down his chin a bit before he wiped it off with his thumb, popping it into his mouth after, "Knock, knock," he called out as he looked around the house. He smelt that everyone was here, everyone at least semi important that is, and continued on his venture in the house, "Boo," he sang as he appeared next to Hope. Hope smirked lazily, wrapping her arms around Wyatt's waist and returning his greeting with a brief kiss on the lips, before she promptly removed herself from him, and was about to go and help Damon, before she blinked, and paused, waiting for whoever was running at vampire speed to show up. Upon the discovery that it was her father, she merely turned to look at him, and raised an eyebrow,

"I know you want to be cool but the way to go about it is /not/ to copy everything I do." She told him, mocking a serious tone. She rolled her eyes jokingly and finally made it over to Damon, offering him a grin,

"I take it you're the president of the box club."

Wyatt arched his eyebrows at Klaus, before snorting a little at the interactions between father and daughter. Damon shook his head a little with a small sigh and rolled his eyes, finishing stuffing boxes into the recycling before he moved away from there and leaned against the back of the sofa, fiddling with his daylight ring as he observed the other three in the house.

"Yeah, well, I don't have much stuff. I just have to finish putting everything away in my room." Damon gave Klaus a weak nod of acknowledgement. Klaus gave Hope an unapologetic smile before opening his arms to give her a hug, "I got it, I'll come up with something a bit more original next time,"he promised, puling his daughter in for the tight hug, holding her against his chest. He had taken the time to visit a few old friends, make a few new enemies and go for a quick feed before appearing at the house to offer whatever help he could; even if it was just his smile. Hope scoffed in an embarrassed fashion, but it was muffled against his chest, she struggled briefly and then gave in, wrapping her arms around him in return,

"Yes, yes. I missed you too." She conceded, kissing his cheek and patting his shoulder before escaping and making a dash for the bathroom. Wyatt snorted a little and arched his eyebrows, amused.

"Aren't you as original as they come?" He asked Klaus, not at all ashamed that he'd just made such a pun. He grinned widely, crossing his arms over his chest and quirking his eyebrows up a little. Klaus turned his head quickly at Wyatt, walking over to him, cupping his shoulder with the most serious look on his face, " .God," he whispered with almost a pale complexion, "It happened, ladies and gentlemen." He gave a pained look at everyone in the room, his free hand clutching his chest, :Wyatt grew a sense of humor- A bad one- but it's better than nothing," then he began to pretend to cry, giving a golfer's clap. Damon walked past the group of affection before walking upstairs to his bedroom. There were piles of clothes on the bed, though he didn't have many as he never really settled anywhere. He'd have to go shopping for clothes and furniture, but for now, he had a bed, dresser, a couple pairs of jeans, and a few shirts. And, of course, his leather jacket. He started putting them away.

Hope soon returned from the bathroom, hair now put up in a loose ponytail. She frowned a little at the party of two that met her where she'd left them. She took a moment to listen out for where Damon had disappeared to, and found he was upstairs, somewhere. She considered going up to help him, but this was only the second time she had met up with him, and figured it was a little too soon to go traipsing around in his room, or wherever he was. She settled for her present company, and leaned against the nearest wall, watching Wyatt and Klaus as they interacted. Wyatt grimaced a little at Klaus' display, eyeing him with narrowed eyes and a disbelieving expression. He placed his hands on the man's shoulders, eyeing him, and moving him to the side.

"What is with you just lately?" He questioned, before moving around the hybrid. "And besides, I always had a sense of humour - it's called sarcasm so dry you'll need a glass of water to swallow it down," he drawled, flapping his hand in a dismissive gesture before following Damon upstairs. Damon put the few articles of clothing he had away and starting making the bed, his bedding solid black to match the color of his dresser. Once he was done, she laid on the bed. Klaus huffed as the man walked off; who needs him anyway? A few seconds later Klaus was following him down the stairs like a lost puppy, he had been in a good mood lately, that was what was wrong with him. Should he be rude and aggressive once more, is that what they wanted from him? It seemed like he couldn't win. He leaned against one of the walls, watching everyone work, wondering where he could help out, but was that a nice action? In the end, he remained silent and watched everyone else work. Wyatt moved into Damon's room and glanced around the place, before he wandered over to the chair at the desk and sat down, glancing over at Klaus who'd followed him with an amused smirk as he read the hybrid's thoughts.

"Well, I suppose it's preferable to you killing everyone in sight," he commented with a small shrug, before looking over at Damon. "It's weird, seeing your room finally finished."

"If you call this finished, then sure." Damon chuckled, referencing how bare and drab the room truly was. There was a desk, chair, bed, and dresser. That was the extent of decoration in his room. Wyatt glanced around the room before looking back at Damon with a slightly arched eyebrow, shrugging nonchalantly.

"I see nothing wrong with it," he told him, lips pursed. His room here at the boarding house was much the same, except for an easel where he sometimes painted and a bookshelf stacked with novels from various time periods. Hope blinked dazedly at the suddenly empty room, she took a step forward, and then pivoted and took a step back, a hand coming up to point at the place where everyone had been. She had only zoned out for a few seconds, and now she was alone. They were all in Damon's room, she could hear them, and she shrugged a little, to herself. Hope started to venture about the first floor, examining books and paintings and random possessions. Klaus growled a bit at Wyatt, "Stay out of my head," he said loudly, not yelling or shouting, just simply being assertive. Maybe Happy Klaus wasn't the right Klaus, it felt a little weird to him too, but something just felt great about being the alst couple of days and he couldn't help but be happy. He left the two men and went to follow his daughter, feeling a bit out of placed upstairs, picking up a book and blowing a bit of dust off of it, "This is a good book," he held it up to her, "Ishmael by David Quinn."

Hope turned around to meet him and appraise the book, nodding interestedly, genuine fascination on her face as she crossed her arms,

"An all time favourite?" She questioned, accepting the book once he offered it to her. Wyatt arched his eyebrows and then rolled his eyes a little bit as he turned to look at Klaus. He shrugged and smirked, unashamed and unapologetic, smirk slipping into an amused grin as he huffed, letting out a little cackle when the hybrid stormed off out of the room to go find Hope. Klaus chuckled a little and hummed, sighing to himself as he shook his head.

"Welp, it's a philosophical book that includes a gorilla, that alone makes it an amazing book," Klaus joked with her, bumping her a shoulder a bit with his, rolling his shoulder back once he finished. "It gives everything you looked at a new meaning. I found this book in the late 90's, helped me through a bit of a...situation, let's call it."

Hope raised a singular eyebrow,

"Did you fall in love with a gorilla?" She asked, as seriously as she could manage, her tone almost deadpanning, and she chuckled a little, turning the book over in her hands, tilting her head as she did so, in synchronisation. Hope briefly tuned her hearing in to upstairs, and hearing the telltale happy, amused Wyatt sounds, she gave a pleased smile, flicking the book open and skim reading the first few pages. Wyatt listened in on their conversation, unable to help the smirk that came to his face as Hope joked about Klaus falling in love with a gorilla. She really could be weird at times, her and her sense of humour, but it was just another thing that he liked about her - how quirky she was. Klaus rolled his eyes a bit, a laugh falling off of his lips once more, rolling his eyes as he read over the back cover with her, "I fell in love with a gorilla, her name was Sheila," he said with a sort of nostalgic sigh following the statement. "What? It's never happened to you," he asked a bit embarrassed, of course only kidding, but trying to play it off. Hope shook her head sadly, sighing,

"I've never been in love, especially not with a gorilla." She responded, laughing and poking his side, she decided she wanted to read this book, and so kept a hold of it. She'd come to respect her father's recommendations, as he was usually right about things, and had excellent taste.

Damon had followed behind after a few minutes of silence for himself (Well, as much silence as a person with super-hearing can get). He made his way to the kitchen and went to a cabinet, looking for his favorite half sized crystal glass, setting it on the counter as he grabbed a bottle of Bourbon, filling his glass. Wyatt eyed Damon as he left the room, glancing around his surroundings before huffing and pushing up from his chair, wandering out to the hybrid and his daughter. He crossed his arms over his chest, posture straight, and strolled casually towards them, cocking his head to the side a little as he quirked his eyebrows.

"A gorilla, Nik?" He questioned, joining in on the tease though his face showed no trace of amusement, despite him feeling it faintly. "I'm offended that I wasn't told."

Hope's head shot up upon hearing Wyatt's voice, and she grinned at him, an adoring smile coming to quickly take over. She raised the book in her hands towards him, giving him a good look of the cover before speaking,

"Have you read this?" She questioned, it suddenly occurring to her that Klaus may have been tricking her, as he had done in the past. He liked to do this thing where he recommends films to her, and gives them this huge build up, which means Hope's spirit is completely crushed when the film turns out to be awful. She scowled down at the book as the most recent occurrence of this happening came to her. Wyatt glanced at the book before he shook his head, lips pursed. He shrugged a little as he eyed the title, before glancing back at her.

"Never," he told her simply. "I read a lot, but I apparently either read books that everyone has read or books that barely anybody on the planet has read, and there is no in between." He made a dismissive noise, shrugging once more. It seemed to be a constant thing for him, to shrug and nod impassively. It seemed his trouble with understand and feeling emotions extended into knowing how to act engaged as well.

Hope nodded, imitating his shrug, and then wandered off to go find her jacket, where's she'd hung it on the coat rack in the hallway. She slipped the small book into her jacket pocket, humming a little as she did so, and then rejoined Wyatt where she had left him,

"Do you know what's for dinner?" She inquired, swinging her arms about. Wyatt shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, shrugging a little.

"Not sure," he said, glancing over his shoulder but catching no sight of Damon anywhere in their vicinity. "I didn't ask nor bother looking," he told her, pressing a kiss to her temple. Hope shrugged as best as she could with a vampire's heavy arm laying on her shoulders, but thanks to the fact she wasn't a weak little human, and never had been, she didn't find it weighing on her, and instead settled into his side. She leaned her head against his chest lightly and stared up at the ceiling,

"How old exactly is this house?" She murmured. Wyatt pursed his lips a little and huffed as he tilted his head back, eyes glancing up at the ceiling absently in thought, a single shoulder shrugging a little. He squinted a little, before nodding to himself as he looked down again and glanced at Hope with a small smile.

"Well it was built in 1914, so that'd make it 101 years old," he mused, licking his lips. "An entire 80 years younger than me," he said with an amused tone, glancing around the hallway for no particular reason. "I think the longest I've ever spent under this roof at any one time would have to be the three years I spent here from 1982 to 1985," he told her, also for no particular reason, merely making conversation. Hope's mouth made an "o" shape, indicating that she was genuinely fascinated, and she let her eyes travel over the interior of the house, the arches, the wooden pillars, the support beams, finding herself thoroughly impressed with it's durability. She whistled quietly, wrapping an arm around Wyatt's waist simultaneously,

"Impressive, for a house." She remarked, smiling at nothing in particular. Wyatt shrugged a little and nodded, pursing his lips.

"Well, it's certainly not the oldest surviving house in the history of time, but yes, it's in pretty good condition," he said lightly, agreeing with her. He began to walk along the corridor to a small flight of stairs at the end of it and led her up them, producing a key from the back pocket of his jeans and unlocking the door, opening it and ushering her inside, following in after her and closing the door behind them. "This is a private room for inhabitants and people who know our secret only," he informed her, tucking the key back into his pocket. "It contains family photos and paintings - I'm sure you can guess why it's for those in the know only," he said, amused, gesturing to a photo frame that was hung on the wall. The photo itself was aged, its colours weak and scratchy, and in it there was Stefan, Damon, Wyatt, and a young woman who'd been a friend at the time - human, of course, and she'd died not twenty years later. It was from the 1960's, and the group were huddled outside a records shop. It said a lot that Wyatt was actually showing this photo to Hope, actually, considering he always felt a vague sort of embarrassment towards it. In the photo, his hair was relatively long and floppy at the fringe, with a couple of thin plaits in it, and his jeans were flared. He was shirtless with a denim vest. He wasn't proud of it, but he'd been swept up with the hippies - the 60's had been Wyatt's calmest decade. His number of kills could actually be counted on one hand, and he spent most of his time getting stoned and playing music with his friends. Stefan and Damon hadn't hung around a whole lot, but they'd definitely been around much more during that decade than they had in decades before and decades after - Wyatt's fault, really, but oh well.

Hope allowed herself to be guided along, obediently, nodding solemnly and licking her lips occasionally, noticing how quickly they dried out. She gazed about them at the small room she had no idea existed until about a minute ago, her eyes wandering over the contents of it with an even higher degree of fascination than before. Her interest levels went through the roof when Wyatt pointed out the best picture she had ever seen, and there he was, her boyfriend used to be a hippie. She snorted in extreme amusement, coming forward to gape at it in open mouthed wonder, glancing up at Wyatt,

"No way..." She began, shaking her head in minimal disbelief, as the proof was right in front of her. She glanced down at her own outfit, her shorts and her tie dye shirt with miniature peace signs on it, even her nails were thoroughly hippie themed. She snickered at herself and then looked back up to the painting, not able to keep her eyes off of it for long,

"I'm even more attracted to you than I was before." She admitted, unable to stop the laughter that followed. Wyatt glanced away from the photo to observe Hope with a small, amused noise. He was trying hard not to feel affronted by her laughter and snorting, licking his lips and biting the bottom one, sighing through his nose deeply. He glanced at the photo, then back at her once again and arched his eyebrows. At her admitting her attraction towards him had increased, his eyebrows climbed higher on his forehead and he looked at himself in the photo. There was even a daisy chain bracelet on one of his wrists. He squinted at her in disbelief, though upon another glance at her outfit he pursed his lips and nodded.

"I can see why that may be," he commented dryly, smirking a little. Hope had been focusing more on the finer details of the photograph, and she too, had noticed the little daisy chain. She brought her wrist up to examine, tearing her eyes away from the photo momentarily to squint at the fake daisy chain she had on her own wrist. It looked almost like an exact replica of the one Wyatt was wearing in the photo,

"Well, would you look at that." She mused, pushing her bracelet about on her wrist to examine it further, glancing up at Wyatt occasionally as she did so.

Wyatt snorted a little and looked at her bracelet then back at his own in the photo. He placed his hands on her hips, lowering his voice to a quiet, deep, almost-growl as he pressed his lips to her ear.

"Mine was real," he taunted her, nipping her earlobe gently in a slightly playful manner. He tugged her closer to him, their bodies now flush, and slipped around behind her, his front pressed to her back and his arms looping around her waist, kissing her neck softly. Hope laughed nervously at first, but then the sound died in her throat and her face paled briefly, before heating up, a violent blush creeping up onto her cheeks. She shivered a little as he got closer to her, her eyelids fluttering of their own accord, fully aware of how embarassingly her heart rate spiked, her heart pounding violently in her chest. She leant her face closer to his instinctually, placing her hands on top of their position on her hips, and was glad she hadn't tried to secure him in a more general hold as he slipped around to hold her from behind, her hands easily following his to rest on her waist. She made a pleased little humming noise, turning her face towards him,

"Mine is still existent." She retorted softly, grinning as much as she could considering the suddenly pressurised circumstances. Wyatt rolled his eyes a little and placed a small kiss to the fluttering pulse point in her neck, then another at the hinge of her jaw, before resting his chin on her shoulder. He scoffed a little at her remark, eyes flickering up to the photo; they narrowed a little in scrutiny. He hadn't been the only hippy, of course. Even Damon had been swept up with the phase, and Stefan too - it was just that Damon was more surprising. Stefan, in the photo, had been wearing a tie-dye t-shirt with its sleeves ripped off haphazardly, leaving gapes under his armpits that showed some of his chest and ribs when looked at from the side, and Damon was rocking the shirtless look but without the vest, a pair of brown, corded shorts on with sandals.

"Can you actually imagine me now wearing one of those?" He questioned her, arching an eyebrow, before shaking his head. "I think not."

Hope gasped quietly at the thought, her face lighting up and her eyes widening with the promise of someday seeing that,

"You think not?" She questioned innocently, "Can I persuade you to wear one?" She asked seriously, as though they were making an extremely serious bargain on something of great importance. Hope grinned prematurely at the answer she was expecting, knowing her questions would only serve to tease him, and looked back to the photo. She admired Stefan's outfit for a bit, tilting her head to the side that Wyatt's head wasn't currently occupying, appreciating his tie dye shirt. Wyatt sighed heavily and nipped her shoulder just for even daring to ask that question - jokingly or not - before he nudged his nose against her temple lightly as he lifted his head.

"Nothing on this earth could make me wear one again. I was stoned literally all of the time during the 60's, honey," he told her, shaking his head a little at the hazy memories. He'd never laughed as much as he laughed in the 60's, that was for sure. Sometimes he got so high he couldn't stand on his own two feet, falling to his arse and giggling over it for fifteen minutes straight. It seemed that weed was effective enough to transform anybody into bubbly, easily amused souls that spent all their time laughing and nibbling on sweet pastries - or at least, that's what happened to Wyatt. Hope mused over that new piece of information, lips tugging up in an impressed smirk,

"You know, I've never been high." She replied, evenly, bringing a hand up to trail her fingers lightly along his jawline as she thought, trying to imagine Wyatt high, but failing, miserably. She narrowed her eyes at the photo, now, switching her eyes over to Damon, who looked noticeably happier in this photo than he did these days. Hope made a sad little humming noise in her throat and exhaled lightly through her nose,

"What was my father up to in the 60's?" She suddenly asked, as the thought came to her, wondering if Wyatt and Klaus had been with each other during the 60s. Wyatt chuckled a little and shrugged at this information, tilting his head a little to press a kiss to the palm of her hand as her fingers traced his jawline. He shrugged again when she asked about Nik, shaking his head and huffing, rolling his eyes a little at the mere thought of it.

"God knows," he told her, tone vaguely bitter. "He compelled me not to go looking for him back in the twenties, remember?" A small sigh escaped his lips and he grumbled, eyebrows furrowing.

Hope made a small "ahh" sound, nodding as she remembered that rather significant fact,

"Silly Hope." She said almost unintelligibly, more to herself than anyone else. Hope ghosted her hand carefully over his cheekbones on the right side of his face, as she couldn't see what she was doing, it took quite a lot of her concentration, but luckily for her, she had Wyatt's face mapped out in her mind by now, her hand found it's way to the desired destination of the spot of neck just below Wyatt's ear, where she carressed the skin there, lightly, knowing he enjoyed it. She hummed lightly to herself as she did so, no clear song seeming to be the objective. Wyatt closed his eyes and tilted his head forward, tucking his face into her neck. A small sigh escaped his lips, and a little shiver, almost unnoticeable, ran down his body at the light caress of Hope's fingertips trailing over the skin of his neck, a sensitive area of his. He gave her waist a small, light squeeze and kissed her nape gently, letting a soft hum sound in his throat as he did so. It felt nice to let his guard down around her. Though, last time he'd done that... he quickly shook off those thoughts, ignoring them. Now wasn't the time. He'd let himself enjoy this. Hope smiled easily, lying her head back to lay against his, her fingers covering a little more area on his neck. She was also reminded of the event, as she liked to call it, and was pleased to find that she had no qualms about Wyatt being in the same place he had been before, she wasn't scared of him anymore, in fact it had long passed, and as their relationship developed, she noticed a lot of things change about the way she saw things. She was definitely more confident now, accepting of herself, and no longer a complete pushover. She knew this was all due to him, and the positive effect he'd had on her life, and Hope sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. He nuzzled his face against the juncture of her neck and shoulder, eyelashes fluttering a little, before he dragged his lips along the vein in her neck and up to her jawline, pressing open-mouthed kisses to the defined structure of the bone. He smoothed his palm along her waist, fingertips brushing over her hip bone as he skimmed his hand downward and curled his fingers around the jut of her hip. He liked the height of her, how when they were standing straight her head would tuck under his chin effortlessly, and the shape of her and the way her frame seemed to fit with his almost perfectly. Hope squirmed a tiny bit, laughing and turning more towards him, so that she was more sideways against him than she had been, although it could still be counted as her having her back to him. It was at that inbetween point. She retrieved her hand, and then fidgeted around in his arms, finally managing to reach the point where she had achieved her goal of facing him, chest to chest. She smiled slyly up at him, and then suddenly squinted at the space next to his left eye, she smoothed her thumb over it tentatively, she thought she'd seen a bruise, but when she removed her thumb, it wasn't there. It's existence in itself had been an impossible eventuality, anyway, she scolded her subconscious.


	8. Eight: Picnic

Hope made her way up the steps to the porch of the Mikaelson mansion, she grimaced and kept a hand pressed firmly against the outer beginnings of her wound. She reached the door and staggered into it, clutching at the handle desperately, and manage to produce her key from her pocket, fumbling with the lock, shoving the door open. Hope gave out an agonised groan and kicked vaguely at the door behind her, not managing to close it entirely, and made it into the living room, propping herself up on the fireplace. She glanced at the phone across the room from her, on the little end table by the sofa, and considered calling Wyatt. But then changed her mind almost instantly, shaking her head to reinforce her decision, he didn't need this right now. She tugged at her jacket, crying out in pain as she moved in the wrong way, the wooden stake that was imbedded in her stomach was pushed deeper, and with a devastating gasp, she threw her jacket to the other side of them room, hands coming up to try and start removing the stake, but as she had never done this before, she just couldn't. It had been dipped in wolfsbane, it was obvious to her now. Wyatt happened to already be at the mansion, just out of the shower and dressing into the clothes he'd packed into a satchel; he'd been here since last night, when he and Nik had gotten drunk on Bourbon and vodka shots, and had only been awake for about an hour. He had woken up three hours ago, but he'd gotten so drunk the night before that he'd managed to do what he'd thought was impossible and give himself a hangover, resulting in the vampire tucking his head under the duvet of the guest bed and returning to sleep. He was in the middle of getting dressed when he heard a pained moan, quickly recognising it to be coming from Hope. He quickly shrugged on his shirt, foregoing buttoning it up, and appeared in front of her in a split second, eyes wide with concern as he looked at the stake protruding from her stomach.

"Who did this to you?" He asked immediately, tone sharp and snappish as he guided her to the sofa. Hope clutched at the arm he had on her, other hand trembling and hovering around the stake, she licked her lips and shook her head,

"I don't /know/" She cried, clearly distressed, her jaw clenched and her teeth gritted together of their own accord. She took a moment to unlock her teeth, "Some wannabe vampire hunter? The guy thought he knew how to kill a hybrid. Thought that was all I was." She rushed out, trying to inform him as well as she could, but she was blanking on the details, the wolfsbane searing through her system. She was more focused on the stake, anyhow, eyes wide as she watched blood trail down it, as she leant forwards slightly. Wyatt sighed aggressively and got a hand around the wood, giving her a certain look before he pushed her hand away with a gentle nudge.

"Brace yourself," he told her, and that was all the warning that she was given before he yanked the piece of wood out of her stomach and threw it aside. The wolfsbane had infected the wound, so it didn't heal immediately; Wyatt, reluctantly, tucked his fingers into the wound to check for shards, before he bit into his own wrist and brought it to her lips, encouraging her to drink his blood. Hope screamed as the stake was yanked out of her, grabbing on to him, a tear trailing down her cheek, needing some kind of relief from the pain. She sagged back onto the sofa, hands moving away from him and clinging to the sofa cushion instead, she licked her lips and closed her eyes, exhaling in relief,

"Thank you." She murmured, her eyes falling open again sharply as his fingers entered the wound, she choked out some sort of pained gasp,

"Ah-!" She lolled her head forward, brow furrowing and her heart skipping a beat. Hope brought her head up on reflex upon hearing his fangs sink into teeth and flesh and accepted his blood eagerly, remembering how Nik had fed her this way after she had nearly died, and how much better it made things.

Wyatt licked his lips and let out a relieved sigh, eyes rolling a little in a thankful fashion as he saw the wound begin to close up, skin knitting itself back together, Hope's healing factors finally no longer inhibited. He got up from where he was kneeling on the floor at the foot of the sofa and moved through to the kitchen, grabbing a clean cloth and soaking it under the hot water tap, ringing it out before he returned to Hope's side and hooked his fingers under her shirt, stripping it off and tossing it aside before he lifted the cloth to her torso and wiped away the remaining blood and clots. Satisfied that her skin was cleaned up, he stood again and went to put the cloth into the washing machine. Hope watched the wound close up, mesmerised, once satisfied that the wound was totally gone, and the skin was perfect once again, she pulled her legs up and held them there. She played with a loose piece of thread on her jeans, her teeth grazing over her lower lip as she did so, she glanced up in the direction of where Wyatt had disappeared to and took a breath before speaking,

"Thank you." She repeated, knowing he would hear her, and then she cocked her head to the side, continuing to play with the string, "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here." She admitted, a little ashamed of herself for not defending herself initially, when she had sensed something was off about the man who had approached her. His jacket had been way too thick for the humidity of the day, and his eyes had been narrowed the whole time he was speaking to her, as if he were constantly disgusted and untrusting of her, before he had even opened his mouth to greet her. She thought back to what he had said, how he called her an abomination, "the truest form of evil in this world", and she remembered the look on his face, he had genuinely thought he'd succeeding in killing her. Wyatt nodded a little as he returned to the room once again and moved to sit down on the coffee table in front of her. He glanced her up and down, checking the appearance of her, just to be certain, before he looked up and met her gaze.

"It's fine," he told her evenly, voice relatively neutral like always. He licked his lips, biting down on the bottom one with a deep furrow to his brow as he looked off into the open space beside himself in thought. His jaw was clenched tightly at the thought of yet another person out to get their kind - for all they knew, it was another of their kind out to get her, or to get at Nik, or maybe even Wyatt himself. He wished she'd have gotten a look at their face. With a sigh, he shook his head and glanced up at her again. "You should go and put on a shirt," he said quietly. Hope blinked and then looked down at herself, realising for the first time that her shirt was missing, and she had just been sat there in her bra. She swallowed and then darted her eyes up to Wyatt, suddenly hyper aware of his presence, embarrassed and hating the feeling of vulnerability. With a sigh she rose from the sofa, grabbing her ruined shirt as she did so, and dumped it in the bin as she passed it, on her way upstairs. She arrived in her room and grabbed a random shirt from her drawer, tugging it on without taking a look at it. Hope glanced in the mirror as she passed it and squinted at her reflection, she looked pathetic, victimised, once again. She scowled at her own face, and ventured into the bathroom to splash water on her face, furthermore she grabbed a hairband from her room and then flashed downstairs to stand by Wyatt once more, collecting her hair together and pulling it into a side plait.

In Hope's absence, Wyatt had busied himself wiping up the droplets of blood on the hard floor that'd dripped down from Hope's wound as she'd staggered into the house. He made sure to spray the areas with a disinfectant, knowing that Klaus would be likely to have a fit if he smelled her blood - he might even have accused Wyatt at first, assuming he'd lost control again. He did it all at supernatural speed, taking the bin bag filled with the bloodied tissues and her shirt out to the skip behind the house at the end of the garden before returning to the kitchen and washing his hands. As Hope came down, he made his way over to the sofa and sat down at last, sighing, before finally noticing his shirt wasn't buttoned yet. He huffed and glanced down, idly thumbing the buttons into their holes with a single hand. Hope simply stood in the place she had ended up in, watching life go on through the window, people interacting and smiling, without a care in the world, on the street outside. A part of her longed for that life again, where she had been sheltered beyond belief, and her biggest worry had been whether Raj had been cheating on her. Raj. The memory of him tugged on Hope's heart a little, although it had been years now, she was sure she'd never be over it. His death, that was. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, frowning seriously at the window pane now, eyes averted from the bright people beyond the glass. She brought her gaze over to Wyatt and her expression smoothed out, her heart picked up a little, and her mind's direction altered, thoughts softening, not cutting her so deep. The beginnings of a smile lingered on her lips as she watched him, he was the best remedy for her pain. She forgot who she was when she was with him. She didn't need that old life, and if she was granted it, she would probably have never met Wyatt.

Wyatt, for his part, was oddly focused on the buttons of his shirt, getting stuck with the one that was third from the top. He glared a little at it, more than capable of doing it with ease if he simply gave in and used both hands, but no, he was a rather stubborn creature. He scowled at it, until eventually he situated it into a position where a push of his thumb was all it took for it to nestle itself in its little slot. A small, satisfied smirk crossed over his features, and he nodded to himself, before looking up and realising he was being watched. His expression took on one of mild embarrassment, and he cleared his throat a little, standing from his place on the sofa and wandering over to her, tilting his head a little and quirking his eyebrows, lips pursed.

"You good?" He asked her. Hope snickered lightly at his struggle, eyes following him as he approached her, an easy smile taking over from the pensive look that had occupied her face previously, she opened her arms to receive him, her lips parting to reveal her teeth as she smiled, a warmth visible in her gaze. She had never been able to find such solace in anything before, and with just this, she was already beginning to forget the pain she had collected inside of her throughout the day, from the physical assault, and from remembering her times with Raj. Hope brought her attention determinedly back to the present and to Wyatt, forbidding herself from thinking of anything else for now. She focused singularly on his features, simply admiring them. Wyatt stepped into her embrace willingly and easily, wrapping his own arms low around her torso and pulling her close, letting her head rest against his chest. He tilted his head down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, before turning to rest his cheek against her head and close his eyes. He lightly traced his fingers in repetitive motions along the bumps and curves of her spine, simply letting her body heat warm his naturally cooler skin and inhaling her scent with every breath.

"You didn't answer me," he noted with a hint of amusement, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Hope made an agreeing humming noise, her hands coming up to imitate the tiny patterns he was making, but on his chest, she smiled naturally,

"I was just thinking about someone." She answered, her voice on the same wavelength as the hum she had just finished making. She tilted her head up, cheek brushing over his chest as she did so, took look up at him, her smile turning a little somber. Knowing that he could easily see into her mind, she tried her best not to think about Raj, but as she was trying to hard not to think about him, of course that was exactly what her mind started to do. Hope exhaled lightly through her nose, eyes trailing over his face, clinging to the aspects of it, gaining comfort from it. Wyatt arched his eyebrows a little, glancing down at her with a bemused expression on his face; he wasn't mad or anything, not really, just disgruntled. He couldn't help but wonder why she was thinking of her ex, but he wasn't going to say anything - he could understand how a death would effect someone like herself, or any emotionally functioning person really.

"Your thoughts are... loud. It's impossible to ignore them," he told her, eyes flickering over her face, assessing her facial expressions. He tilted his head a little, toying with his bottom lip as he looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. He brought a hand up to her face as he leaned back a little, his two fingertips tucking underneath a strand of her hair and brushing it back behind her ear, fingertips stroking her cheekbone.

Hope sighed a little dreamily, a warmth beginning to spread inside of her, she travelled her hands down from his chest to secure themselves together on his lower back, arms encircling his waist,

"I'm sorry... Today is the third year anniversary of his death." She apologised, offering an explanation. She found herself frowning as a reaction to his own frown, and felt her heart stop temporarily, as his fingers began to examine her face. The corner of Hope's lips tugged up in a small, sad smile, her eyes making their way up from his lips to meet his eyes, a little too aware of how intimate their current situation was. She decided that she liked it, and settled down into her comfort zone again, as it expanded to meet her. Wyatt tilted his head to the side a little as he looked at Hope, nodding in understanding. He cupped her jaw softly, brushing his thumb over her jaw line, fingers curling delicately around the side of her neck, fingertips lightly tracing the jut of her spinal cord.

"You don't need to apologise for that," he told her quietly, shrugging a single shoulder. "I don't have raging jealous boyfriend syndrome or anything; your boyfriend died, and it's okay for you to think about it." He huffed a little, eyes glancing over her shoulder, making a small joke in an attempt to lighten the situation. "I don't like it," he joked, "but I can deal with it." He smiled a little and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Hope's smile turned smoothly into a grin, and she squeezed him, causing them to be pressed even closer together,

"I think we should go out. Do something fun?" She suggested breezily, fingers tickling the base of his spine as she did so, raising her eyebrows, waiting for his response. Hope leaned up onto her tiptoes so that her forehead would meet his lips more effectively, allowing her eyelids to flutter closed at the feelings, making a contented little humming sound as she did so. She cleared her throat and licked her lips, starting to massage that spot on his neck, just below his ear, that she knew was a sweet spot for him.

Wyatt's eyes fell shut automatically as her fingertips came into contact with that place on his neck, and he tipped his head down to press a kiss to her lips instead, letting his lips linger for a moment before he pulled back slightly, just enough to look down at her and nod. He smiled just faintly and licked his lips, stepping back and taking her hands in his as her arms fell from around him.

"Sounds like a plan," he commented mildly, shrugging a little. He glanced around the place before looking at her once more, an eyebrow arched. "Where do you wanna go, and what do you wanna do?" He asked. Hope chewed on her lower lip, eyebrows furrowing as she thought it over,

"I'm not sure why I always suggest these things and then come up blank." She began, smirking at her own stupidity, and then put her mind to it, briefly sorting through the things they could do, before settling on the best option for the day, "We could... go to the park?" She suggested, phrasing it more like a question, before adding a second part to the original plan, eyes lighting up at the excitement for the plan, "And have a picnic."

Wyatt quirked an eyebrow, but simply shrugged one shoulder, lips pursed as he nodded in response, an expression on his face that could be roughly translated as, 'fair enough'.

"I... picnic, sure," he said, glancing up as he spoke, head tipping back a little. "Um, what kind of food?" He asked, looking back down at her again. "Want me to cook something or just your regular sandwiches kind of deal?" Wyatt wasn't particularly used to dates and general... human sorts of activities. This all felt rather strange to him, but he could push his own weirdness about it aside for her.

Hope imitated his shrug, nodding at the same time,

"I /do/ love your cooking." She admitted, agonising over having to make a decision between getting to the spontaneous date and missing out on his cooking. Hope sighed lightly, slipping her left hand out of his and placing it over the one her right hand was holding, she turned his hand over and traced small shapes on his palm. She frowned at the palm and then glanced back up at him,

"What would you cook?" She asked curiously. Wyatt shrugged again, eyes dropping down to the point of contact as she traced little patterns on his skin. He looked away, eyes moving up to meet her gaze.

"Anything you want," he said mildly, "I'm not fussed." He didn't normally each a lot anyway, really. He could survive without food for a long time as long as he had a regular supply of blood. The decision would be entirely down to her. "Although," he added, brow furrowing as he glanced up into empty space again in thought, "nothing with... the weird fish things, like prawns or muscles. Or crabs. No weird seafood," he nodded as if confirming his own statement, and looked down at her once more. Hope chuckled and poked him lightly in the stomach, letting go of his hands and walking past him, to go into the kitchen and examine the contents of the fridge. She shrugged and decided to just make some sandwiches instead, going to the effort of cooking something wasn't necessary. Hope ducked down and leaned into the fridge, collecting up the necessary ingredients, piling them up in her arms, her shirt riding up a little as she did so. She remained in the fridge as she took a minute or two to think over what sandwiches she wanted to make, her nose wrinkling up as she smiled at the cute image of her and Wyatt having a picnic came to mind. Wyatt followed slowly behind her and leaned up against the archway of the kitchen, crossing his arms over his chest and extending his leg to the side, leaning, other leg coming up behind it, ankles crossing. He tipped his head to the side slightly as she ducked down, eyes glancing at the slither of skin that was exposed as her shirt lifted before averting back to her in general. A faintly amused smile worked its way onto his face as she spent such a significant amount of time debating over types of sandwich to make, as if the decision were of extremely high importance. It caused the faintest huff of laughter to escape his lips, but he wasn't sure she heard it so it was all good. Hope retracted herself from the fridge eventually, with all of the thing she required for the sandwiches she wanted to put together. Hope turned around, and jumped at the sight of him, a ridiculous thing for any supernatural being to do, as it should literally have been impossible for anyone to sneak up on her, and yet, here she was, scared out of her mind for a split second. She almost dropped everything in her arms, but managed to push it onto the counter, putting a hand to her chest, as she started to laugh in a startled manner. She turned on her heel and separated the ingredients into small organised piles, starting on the first load of sandwiches, tugging her shirt down as an afterthought, the exposed skin had gotten noticeably cold. She huffed a little as she put the sandwiches together, swaying about a little, doing a slight dance, although no music was playing. She popped a slice of cucumber into her mouth, crunching on it happily. Wyatt quirked his eyebrows, giving her a slightly surprised, slightly concerned look as she jumped when she saw him, his eyebrows only rising higher as she began to laugh at herself. He was going to question if she was okay, but figured that was probably a little offensive and probably wouldn't be appreciated, so he simply kept his mouth shut, shaking his head a little in fond exasperation. He watched her tug her shirt down and smirked a little, before becoming interesting in watching the way her hips swayed a little to whatever rhythm was going on inside her head.

Hope smirked, sensing his eyes on her, and swiftly turned, pelting a small tomato at him, then blurred over to the opposite side of the kitchen, grabbing a knife and a chopping board,

"Do you have a preferred sandwich filling?" She asked, distractedly, beginning to chop up the stuff for the salad. Wyatt reached a hand out and snatched the tomato from the air with ease, eyeing it with distaste - he couldn't eat tomatoes unless they were sliced/halved and within something, like bolognese or a sandwich. He threw it into the bin across the other side of the room, before turning to look at Hope, shrugging.

"Meat and salad," he decided after a moment, pursing his lips. Hope rolled her eyes at how predictably Wyatt his reaction had been, she promptly finished up on the sandwiches, making an abundance of ham salad ones for Wyatt, and then dragging her little stool over so she could reach the cupboard, and collect some tupperware to carry the sandwiches in. She hopped down, placed the sandwiches in the tupperware and disappeared, returning with a picnic basket, loading the sandwiches and the salad into them. She also added some mini cupcakes, scotch eggs, and juice cartons. Hope nodded her head formally at Wyatt as she passed him, a flirtatious smile on her face, and waited for him outside, keys ready to lock the door with, holding the picnic basket in one hand. Wyatt pushed off the wall and wandered over to the door, picking his leather jacket off the coat hanger in the hallway and shrugging it on. He pulled down his shirt underneath it a little and stepped outside, patting his pockets to make sure his phone and wallet were in there, before nodding to himself as his little inspection confirmed that they were, and turned to look at Hope as she closed and locked the door. He took the basket from her and hooked it onto his arm, before extending his free arm for her to link onto. Hope smiled gratefully, and linked her arm smoothly with his, gesturing for them to start walking. She sighed and closed her eyes as they walked, smiling at the feeling of the sun on her face, the light summer breeze playing with her hair a little, compensating for the humidity. She cracked one eye open to glance at Wyatt, her smile increasing, she opened her eyes again and her stare alternated down to the picnic basket, she raised an eyebrow,

"I could have carried it, you know, it's not heavy." She remarked, pretty sure she could predict his glanced down at her, quickly reading her thoughts, a smirk crossing his face, and simply refused to respond to her statement entirely on the principal of proving her wrong. He shook his head lightly with a small sigh, rolling his eyes, tongue peeking out at the corner of his lips. He shrugged a little instead, glancing around the area as they walked at a leisurely pace towards the park. It was a nice day, he thought, airy and an even temperature. Hope scoffed, squeezing the arm she held, lightly, and returned to looking ahead of her, beginning to watch the people, instead. She raised her eyebrows at a boy across the street who had been giving her the eye, shaking her head in a small motion to indicate she wasn't interested. The boy persisted and was now walking along parallel to them, on the other side of the road, but Hope was beyond him now, she whipped her head stiffly towards a boy a little ahead of them, who was obviously about to fall off of his scooter. She gritted her teeth and winced as he hit the sidewalk, breaking the skin on his knee, blood flowing from the wound. She tried to remember the last time she had drunk from the source and failed to identify it, she could sense the blood lust stirring inside of her and she gripped onto Wyatt a little tighter, fingernails digging into his jacket.

Wyatt's nostrils flared a little at the scent of blood that had begun to coat the air since that thud he'd heard against the concrete, his eyes taking on their shift when he glanced over Hope and looked at the boy that was bleeding. He gritted his jaw, fangs trying to push out, and began walking away at a brisk pace, tugging Hope along with him. It wouldn't do him well to linger, not as a ripper during broad daylight where anybody could see if he gave in to his urges to drain every last drop from the injured boy. Hope helped him along, taking them into a small alleyway between houses, into the shadowed part, her eyes shifting of their own accord and her fangs extending as an act of her subconscious. Hope's hands flew up to feel the veins below her eyes, and to press her thumb lightly against the tip of one of the fangs, and closed her eyes, moving her throught process back in time to think of the first person she'd killed, and at that thought, her face melted away, back to it's normal state. She shuddered and lept back into motion, beginning to attend to Wyatt now, cupping his face, and running her thumbs across his cheeks soothingly,

"Wyatt. Breathe, push the temptation down. You're above it. You don't need it." She councelled, calmly, taking control of the situation. Wyatt's fangs were extended, keeping his mouth from shutting properly, and he was breathing hard, the phantom taste of blood at the back of his tongue. Thing was, he wasn't his doppelganger nephew, he didn't mind ripping someone to pieces, and the temptation was strong within him. He pushed Hope back against the wall, keeping her away from him.

"I drink /anyone's/ blood," he warned her, throat tight, voice sounding gritty and rough as the monster within tried to push to the surface, "you /know/ that, you've experienced that!" The boy must have bled pretty badly, perhaps gashed himself or managed to cut a vein open, but whatever it was, it'd caused a surprising amount of bloodshed. Hope grimaced, suddenly angry, she was supposed to be able to /help/ her boyfriend when he needed her, not hinder him. She ducked her head and glanced up at him once more, before nodding solemnly,

"Is there anything I /can/ do?" She asked pleadingly, before pushing off from the wall and emerging back onto the street, she gritted her teeth and ignored the blood, blurring over to the nearest house and slipping inside. She did a quick search for a first aid kit and found one, reappearing near where the kid had fallen once again, and entered into the small group with ease, as though she had been there all along. The adults were relieved to see her, with her first aid kit, one called her sweetheart, and she gave them all a customary smile, bending down to crouch near the kid, keeping a strict lockdown on her control, cleaning up the wound and covering it with a plaster. Satisfied that the bloodflow had been stopped, she nodded politely at the kid and his parents, and walked off for a bit down the street before she was out of sight, and then returned the first aid kit, and was back with Wyatt in the alleyway, the next instant. Wyatt's face was still shifted, and he was attuned to the way Hope's pulse hammered, specifically in her neck, eyes immediately fixing onto the jumping vein. He licked his lips absentmindedly before screwing his eyes shut and forcing himself to remove his focus from it. He knew he could control himself if he tried hard enough, most likely, but he didn't particularly think she'd want him to feed from her even a little, especially not after last time, and he found himself digging his fingers into the wall of the alleyway that he was leaning back against, tilting his head in the opposite direction of where she stood, letting his fangs sink into his own lip, trying to use the pain to distract himself.

Hope scowled at his back, not sure exactly what her next course of action should be, she tugged at her sleeves and shifted a little uncomfortably,

"Do you think you could stop yourself?" She asked in a murmur, eyes fixed to his back and then shifting the ground as she awaited his response. She wanted to be able to do this for him, and who knew? Maybe if he built up a tolerance or even just got used to the taste of her blood, then the urge to drink it wouldn't be so strong. Wyatt tipped his head back against the wall with an audible thunk that cracked the bricks a little bit, and he let out a rattling sigh. He glanced over at her, eyeing her for a moment, before he shrugged ever so slightly.

"Maybe, but I've no idea," he told her honestly, tipping his head to one side as he looked at her. He sucked in a lungful of air, relieved to find the scent of blood less strong. "I think I'm okay now," he said. His fangs had withdrawn, but his eyes were still shifted. He may have not been able to smell the blood anymore, but it was all that was on his mind now. He twitched a little, brushing himself off, trying to play cool. "I'm fine," he said, sniffing a little. "Let's go?"

Hope tilted her head at him, sadly, and then nodded reluctantly, holding a hand out for him to take, scooping up the picnic basket, although the prospect of the date had been made a little redundant now. She sniffed to try and measure how much blood had been left, and was satisfied that it was being cleaned up, disinfectant and soap now mingling in with the raw blood. Hope let her mind wander briefly to her first kill again, and the gut wrenching sense of guilt hit her, once again, she had been nine, and the kill. No- The /murder/ had been of her best friend, Sadie. A crease appeared in her brow and her bottom lip trembled almost innoticeably, but she repressed the emotions, ridding her mind promptly of the thoughts, and focusing back on Wyatt. Wyatt sensed the distress within Hope and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him as they walked. He pressed a kiss to her head while he sorted through her thoughts in an attempt to figure out what was saddening her, and his lips twisted a little as he found what he was looking for, a certain degree of understanding rising within him. He'd kill his parents, and he knew what it was like to carry the guilt of killing a loved one upon your shoulders for your entire life. He'd shouldered that weight for 160 years, and even after all that time, it still hadn't lessened any, just been pushed aside and repressed. He shook his head faintly as he pushed open the gate to the park, walking them through it and over to the large expanse of grass and trees past the swings and other various playground constructions. Hope sniffed and leaned into Wyatt a little, but not enough to burden him, just enough that would provide comfort for the both of them. She kept her eyes on his shoes, weirdly fascinated by them for a bit, and then brought them back up in sync with her head to look ahead of them, Wyatt seemed to have a specific place in mind, and her grip tightened a little on the picnic basket. She had forgotten it was there, and in her distracted state, almost dropped it. She took a hold of the hand he had swinging by his side, and brought it up to her mouth to press a kiss to it, and then a second, a third. She kept the hand there, pressing it to her cheek lightly.

Wyatt glanced down at Hope as she took his hand and pressed kisses to his palm, before moving it so it cupped her cheek. He chuckled a little and brushed his thumb over her cheekbone, before glancing around. The park was relatively empty, so he had no reservations about his next action: scooping her up into his arms and whisking her to the treeline on the far end of the park. He set her down in the next second when they arrived, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then took the basket, placing it on the ground and sitting down, leaning up against a tree trunk. Hope let out a startled laugh, dropping down to sit opposite him. With a smile lingering on her face, she glanced behind them, from where they had come, with raised eyebrows, she snickered a little to herself and then moved up and onto her knees. She opened the lid to the basket and started to rummage around inside, grabbing a juice carton and the tupperware with the ham salad sandwiches in, prising the lid off and offering one to Wyatt, with a pleased smile on her face, remembering that was his preference. She took one for herself and sat back, fiddling with the straw for her juice carton. Wyatt accepted the sandwich offered to him with a gracious smile, then leaned back once more and immediately took a large bit from it, chewing quite contentedly as he glanced around their surrounding area. On one side there was the woods, tall and sturdy trees cluttered closely about the expanse of land, surrounded by grass, dirt and fallen leaves, the occasional broken branch lingering; on the other side of them, there was miles' worth of grass scattered with wild flowers here and there, all of it relatively trimmed, and a significant children's play park in the middle of it, the apparatus of which seemed to up in age appropriation from one end to the other, starting with the toddlers area and extending to the teens area. Hope was still fiddling with the straw, struggling to get the plastic wrapper off of it, and in her frustration, ending up breaking it, the straw drifted to the floor in pieces, and Hope grumbled something about poor quality and endurance, digging around in the basket for a second carton, taking the straw off of it smoothly sliding the straw out from it's wrapper immediately. She threw her hands up in exasperation, making sure to hold on to the straw, giving Wyatt an incredulous look. Wyatt glanced at Hope and arched his eyebrows, giving her a certain look, the faintest of smirks tugging at the corners of his lips. He couldn't help his amusement in response to her silly little struggle and the reaction it'd provoked within her, finding the whole thing to be rather comedic and enjoyable. He merely shrugged at her, small smirk slipping into a smug twist of his lips, a dimple appearing in his right cheek as he quirked his brow. Hope directed her scowl at him rather than the straw, sticking the straw into the juice carton and the straw in her mouth, she sipped bemusedly on it, eyes travelling over their surroundings. She finished up and put it to one side, patting her legs to an indistinct beat, eyes on Wyatt as she tried to think of something to converse about.

Wyatt finished his sandwich and picked a juice carton from the picnic basket, foregoing the straw, simply finding no real desire to use it, and instead just pierced the carton with his fangs, drinking from it the way he'd pierce and drink from a human or a blood bag. He closed his eyes as he did so, finding the method quite cathartic and almost calming - it was painfully obvious that the substance wasn't blood, but the primal actions gave him the vaguest hint of satisfaction. Hope snorted at his unexpected action, watching him curiously, she scooted around the basket to sit next to him, her arm coming into contact with his as she did so,

"You're just full vampire, aren't you?" She joked, laughing lightly and picking out another sandwich from the basket, nibbling on it, her eyes directed on people in the distance, instead of their immediate area, or even Wyatt. Wyatt opened his eyes, eyebrows raising a little as he sucked the last of the juice and air from the carton before discarding the empty thing into the basket, shrugging his shoulders a little. He licked his lips, clearing them of juice drips, and huffed.

"It's oddly soothing when all I can think about is sinking my teeth into somebody's neck right now," he told her simply, shrugging once again, lips pursed, expression giving the impression that such a thing was casual despite it very clearly not being. Hope shrugged halfheartedly and placed a hand on his knee, her other hand occupied by the sandwich, that she promptly finished, and then shuffled over to sit between his legs, back against his chest, head resting somewhere near his collarbone, head resting snugly underneath his chin. Hope crossed her arms and closed her eyes, a content smile on her face, she hadn't felt this peaceful in days. Dully her mind reminded her that she'd been staked this morning, and she disregarded it, mulling over it for about two seconds before moving on, her mind wandering to this Marcel person she'd heard Klaus mention when he was on the phone this morning. She wondered who in the world Marcel could be. A relative, perhaps? The beginnings of excitement unfurled within her at the thought, she'd only ever met Klaus and Rebekah, and perhaps this could be the opportunity to meet more. Wyatt wrapped his arms around Hope's waist loosely, and rested his forehead on her shoulder. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the temptation to near her neck, and simply focused on their surrounding scents and noises, like the chirp of birds, the rush of a light summer breeze, the smell of trees and wild flowers, the flutter of woodland animals scurrying through tree tops and longer grass. He linked his hand over her stomach and squeezed at his own knuckles, cracking his fingers audibly. Hope grimaced as he did so, her hyper sensitive hearing not appreciating the sound, with a slight crease in her brow, she cracked one eye open to watch his hands, with half the mind to glare at them, or scold him for it. She decided not to, as it was so peaceful and drama free, at that moment in time. She turned her head to the left slightly, hands moving down from her chest to where his were rested on her waist, and placed them on top of his, lightly. Wyatt cracked his eyes open a little bit, just enough to see, and tilted his head up slightly, glancing down at the touch of her hands covering over his. He found himself pressing his lips to the nape of her neck as he closed his eyes once again, simply resting them there, not bothering to move, and inhaled her scent, forcing himself to relax. He drew his knees up either side of her, caging her in a little, digging his heels into the ground just slightly so as to keep his legs in place. Hope's ever present smile deepened at the sudden Wyatt prison she was stuck in, and remarked to herself internally that is she ever were to be arrested, Wyatt prison is where she wanted to be committed. She gave out an amused huff at her own lame and cheesy thoughts, deciding it was because she was tired and Wyatt's lips against her neck were distracting her. Hope dragged her thumbs slowly and soothingly across his knuckles, absentmindedly, her head ducked forward a little, partially to offer Wyatt better access and partially so that she could gaze happily down at where their hands were connected.

Wyatt's eyebrows raised ever so slightly as Hope tilted her head, offering him more access to her neck - access which he happily took. He couldn't help himself as he sorted through her mind, and was unable to stop the laugh that burst out of him, the sound muffled against her nape.

"Oh wow," he drawled, shaking his head a little in amusement. Laughter subsiding, he dragged his lips along the column of her neck and mouthed softly at the sensitive spot just behind and below her ear. "That was cheesier than cheddar," he muttered, lips moving against her neck. Hope shuddered, eyes fluttering closed as he neared her sensitive spot, it was something they had in common. It was a sweet spot for the both of them. She cringed visibly as he spoke, a prominent blush creeping up on her,

"Someone has to be cheesy in this relationship." She replied, half defensive, half amused, "It was always going to be me. I doubt you can be cheesy. You're too smooth." She mused, her fingers trailing up to his wrists now, playing with his sleeves as she talked, eyes still fixed on their hands.

"Mm," Wyatt hummed, conceding it, and nipped at her earlobe gently, murmuring, voice low and a little rough, "you say it almost as if it's a bad thing." He loosely linked their fingers together and gave her hands a small squeeze, brushing his thumbs across her wrist bones absently as he did so, and nudged the tip of his nose lightly under the hinge of her jaw in a playful nuzzle. His entire focus had narrowed down to her and her alone, Hope becoming the centre of his universe in that instant of time; he was oblivious to the sounds and smells around him, only focused on the steady beat of her heart, the fluttering of her pulse, the rhythm of her breathing, and the scent of her skin, as he trailed a path of soft, light, open-mouthed kisses along the column of her neck. Hope melted into him, body going kind of floppy, her mind turning to mush, and there was nothing more than Wyatt. He was the only thing that existed to her then, and she suddenly flipped herself round, careful not to hurt him, but a little roughly, desperation being a key motive. She straddled him, hands cupping his face, on his jaw, and she brought her face down slowly to meet his, almost teasingly, her eyes trailed over his features, close enough that the tips of their noses were almost touching. There was a visible heat in her eyes, and she bit down on her lower lip without knowing it, tilting her head to angle her view of him,

"It's a frustrating thing." She replied in a husky sort of murmur, thumbs carressing his cheekbones, "I rarely have the upperhand." She finished, raising her eyebrows minimally. Wyatt eyed her lips and the way her teeth dug into her bottom one, before his eyes flickered up to meet her eyes. He slid his hands from her hips to her thighs, clutching them firmly and tugging her further into his lap, lowering his legs just a little, enough to give her room while still keeping her caged in and close to him. He arched an eyebrow as he looked up at her, shrugging his shoulders in a casual manner, playing as though he weren't at all affected by her sudden close proximity.

"Is the upper hand really so important?" He questioned, leaning forward so their lips brushed as he spoke, taunting her with the loose promise of a possible kiss. Hope growled lightly, frustrated by his being completely unaffected by her. It taunted her to no end, and caused her to trail her hands down slowly from his face to those little sweet spots below his ears, slowly and very deliberately starting to massage the spots with her fingers, expertly at this point, she was pleased to notice, as she was fairly sure of what Wyatt liked, at this point. Hope exhaled through her mouth, her sweet breath fanning over his skin, and she narrowed her eyes, making an exaggerated motion out of looking down at his lips, as well as she could, considering their extreme proximity,

"It can be." She contradicted him, enjoying his expression as her lips brushed agonisingly against his as she spoke, deliberating over her words, taking her time and over pronouncing things, "The upperhand can often be sexy, if used correctly." She stated calmly, pretending to have her attention focused more on his cheekbones than his eyes.

Wyatt's mouth twisted a little, teeth roughly biting down onto his bottom lip as a small, quiet growl rumbled lowly in the base of his throat. His jaw muscles flexed and fluttered noticeably, and his eyes darkened considerably at the touch of her fingers pressing into his sweet spots, a full-bodied shudder breaking his composure. He tilted his head a little, giving her a heated glare.

"That so?" He questioned her, skimming his palms over to top of her legs, thumbs dipping to brush along her inner thighs as his hands traveled to her hips, gripping them a little roughly. "Do I get a practical demonstration?" He asked her, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips before pulling back again just far enough to leave a centimeter between their mouths. Hope smirked victoriously, chasing his mouth down and kissing him harder, with more intent, and then withdrew, her stare was smoldering now, as she gave a half shrug,

"Who knows..." She trailed off, her fingers moving around to entangle themselves in the hair at the back of his neck, "how the day will end." She finished, an unspoken suggestion in her words, and she brought her eyes back up from where they had been fixed on his chest, to meet his eyes. She shifted a little in his lap, leaning over to press some kisses along his jaw, her hands ghosting down him until they came to rest on his chest, she brought her head back up, and pressed another kiss to his lips, nipping playfully as she did so. Wyatt let a soft sigh escape his lips as her fingers entangled themselves in his hair, tilting his head accommodatingly as she trailed her lips along his jawline. He leaned into it when she kissed him, enjoying the play of her teeth on his lips, ghosting a hand up along her spine to tangle his fingers in the end of her hair. He kissed her back with as much fervour, tilting his head into it and deepening it, hand traveling further up and settling at the base of her neck, fingers and thumb curling around to press into the sensitive spots on her neck, a payback for earlier; he shifted a little underneath her, fingertips of the hand on her hip slipping beneath the hem of her t-shirt to touch bare skin. Wyatt let out a quiet hum against her lips as the kiss sweetened, sliding his hand under her shirt round to the base of her back, fingertips fidgeting idly with the hem of her shorts. He cupped the back of her neck as he shifted their positions, holding her to him as he scooted smoothly to his knees and lowered her to the ground, settling above her, the hand on her head moving so he could brace his arm above her, other hand freely exploring her side and stomach, enjoying the softness of her skin as he kissed her. A light nip to her lip, and then he lightly tugged her hair just to encourage her to tilt her head back, lips finding the pulse point on her neck and kissing it with tender, open-mouthed kisses, a passionate gentleness to each kiss her pressed into her skin.

Hope was vaguely and fleetingly irritated with losing the upperhand, it becoming his once more, but it was never something that suited her, she was a very submissive person. She moaned through the means of a sigh as his lips reconnected with hers, once she was on the ground, and though the thought came to her, she decided there was no way she would participate in public sex, no matter how amazing it promised to be. She ran her hands up the back of his neck, being obedient with where he wanted her to move her head and allow him access to, she was happily compliant, her head lifting fractionally off of the ground occasionally so she could meet his lips sooner, and where he was touching her on her sides and her stomach, there was this effect of sparks and extreme, tantalising heat. Wyatt chuckled faintly against her neck, dragging his lips up to her earlobe and murmuring quietly, "No worries, I'm not one for exhibitionism either," he assured her, lightly tugging her earlobe with his lips alone and flicking his tongue against the underside of it. He let his fangs extend ever so slightly and light scraped them down the lean line of her neck, not piercing the skin, and let the tip of his tongue follow their path, 'til he came to her shoulder, where he withdrew them and bit down with blunt, human teeth, sucking a mark into her flesh and pulling back to watch as it healed, before he let his lips glide along the length of her collarbone. Hope sighed shakily, her eyelids fluttering and then closing, she licked her lips and then allowed them to part and remained parted as she got lost in what he was doing to her, smirking only once he had spoken to her,

"Such a relief. I would have left you." She joked, eyes half closed, a pretty blush remaining permanently on her cheeks, the cause being agonisingly obvious. Hope allowed her mind the quietly become a little paranoid over people seeing them, but she brushed it aside, deciding she didn't care, she wasn't sacrificing this in the name of public decency. She laughed lightly and brought herself up to meet him, hands planted on either side of his jaw, lips searching for his eagerly, coming across his cheek and chin before finding their desired point of impact. Wyatt let a small breath of laughter escape his lips before he met her lips with as much enthusiasm, pressing his body down against hers simply to be close to her and relieve some of the tension winding up within him. He gave her top lip the briefest of nips before flipping them over, rolling onto his back and pulling her on top of him, pushing her thighs downwards, causing her to lay on top of him, every part of their bodies touching. He cupped her jaw and drew her lips to his again, taking her bottom lip between his and kissing her slowly, other hand slipping under her shirt and smoothing over the curve of her back, along her spine. Hope allowed herself to be moved about, a smile remaining plastered on her face, endlessly glad for this small spot they had found. A little piece away from the world, their own little paradise. She adjusted well and quickly to the new position, playing idly with his hair as the rest of her was occupied with kissing him, wondering silently to herself if she was ever going to get enough of it, and how she was ever going to stop. Hope's mouth curved upward of it's own accord, and she smiled against his lips, she felt like she was floating along, above the earth. She scolded herself internally for the cheesy comment, deciding she needed to learn how to discipline and toughen herself up.

Wyatt made an amused noise at the back of his throat that vibrated into their kiss, eyes crinkling at the corners as a smile took over his face. He had to pause their kiss for a moment, leaning up slightly to smother his light laughter against her collarbone.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, shaking his head with a soft sigh, "your thoughts are just really loud today." He grinned as he pulled back a little to look up at her, handing that was cupping her jaw squeezing ever so slightly as he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone in an affectionate manner, looking into her eyes. "Don't change," he said, enunciating the words, saying them slowly to achieve maximum impact and to express his sincerity. He sealed his statement with a soft, lingering kiss. Hope watched him uncertainly at first, she seemed to have this constant and lingering fear that he would reach a point where he found her to be too ridiculous and flawed, and would promptly leave her, but he continued to prove her wrong, all the time. She smiled genuinely and warmly at his words, ducking her head a little to hide behind her hair, until he started to carress her cheek, at which point she tucked her hair behind her ears, and readily accepted his lips. She sighed and pulled away, patting her hands on his chest, peering at him a little sadly,

"I wish we could stay here all day." She began, with a small huff, her tone betraying that she felt it to be a great sacrifice, "But unfortunately, there is a world beyond this, and I have an extremely over protective father who is expecting us to be home for dinner." She broke the news gently, tilting her head to the side and gazing at him, her face screaming reluctance as she did so, pressing a kiss to his lips. Wyatt's smile slipped off of his face as Hope mentioned dinner with Klaus, and he gave her a blank, unimpressed look.

"You're not serious," he said, voice flat with its disbelief. At her sincere look, he groaned and fell backwards, head bouncing a little with the impact as he hit the ground. "Fuck's sake," he muttered under his breath, huffing loudly. His hands came up to scrub at his face, eyes screwing shut for a moment, before he inhaled sharply and sat up again, careful not to bump into Hope. "Right then," he sighed, quirking his eyebrows up, a mirthless smile gracing his features for a second in a brief expression of defeat, before he nodded. "Better get back then, hadn't we?" He hummed, shifting her off of his lap and standing up, reaching his hand down to her to help her to her feet. Hope's mouth turned down in a sad grimace at his reaction. She'd ruined it. They were both extremely happy and blissful, without a worry in the world, and she had managed to ruin it. Another extremely poor and un thought out decision made by Hope Analise Mikaelson, right there. She slid her hand into his, and allowed him to help her to her feet, she smiled halfheartedly at him and ducked her head minimally as she walked over to the picnic basket, shrugging her jacket on and collecting everything up, scooping up the basket and starting to fiddle with the complicated strap on the basket, which secured the lid.

Wyatt arched his eyebrows at her a little and tugged her forwards into his space.

"You didn't ruin anything," he murmured quietly, cupping her cheeks in his hands and offering her a soft, sincere smile. He pressed a light kiss to her lips, a small chuckle escaping him as he nudged their noses together. "Promise." He tilted his head up again and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead as his thumbs brushed her cheeks, closing his eyes and letting the contact linger for a brief moment, before he pulled away again and stuck his hand out, wiggling his fingers for her to take hold of it. Hope's smile spread gradually, and she joined their hands once more, lacing their fingers together in a motion that was all so familiar to her by now. She wiggled her eyebrows at him much like he had wiggled his fingers, and let their hands swing idly between them, resting her head on his shoulder momentarily in an affectionate gesture, before bringing it back up to stand on it's own, glancing back at where they were now walking away from, her smile turning a little sad. She made a mental promise to herself that they would go back there. Wyatt made a maneuver that resulted in their hands remaining linked while his arm was draped over Hope's shoulders, her arm resting across her own chest, their linked fingers laying on the curve of her shoulder comfortably, and pulled her in closer as they walked along, pressing a brief kiss to her temple. As they left the park, his nostrils flared a little; there was a dried patch of blood on the concrete from where the boy had fallen earlier, but luckily it wasn't much. Wyatt ignored it, averting his eyes determinedly forwards, looking ahead of them, chin tipped up a little as he did so. He'd stiffened a little, but once they were a few feet beyond there he relaxed considerably.

Hope's eyes trained immediately on the stained concrete, narrowing her eyes and flaring her nostrils a little as they passed it, glancing up at Wyatt to watch his reaction anxiously, but he seemed to be in control, and so she relaxed, her shoulders slumping a little, she thought of something to distract them both with,

"I wonder how Klaus would react if we skipped dinner." She pondered aloud, her tone curious and her expression as she looked up at Wyatt was verging on suggestive. She raised an eyebrow at him, a lopsided grin on her face as she did so. Wyatt stopped in his place, eyebrows raising as he looked at her, tilting his head to the side. He let out a small laugh, a smirk crossing his features.

"Oh?" His tone was pitched a little higher than normal, teasing. "Is princess Hope about to rebel against her father?" He questioned her, smirk converting into a broad grin, amused and intrigued, enthralled by the girl that stood before him. Hope scoffed and punched him in his side, with her free hand, knowing it wouldn't even register as painful to him,

"Princess-" She began, indignant and slightly offended, she rolled her eyes, "You should be a comedian, honey, perhaps it's your true calling." She mocked him, leaning in to make it seem like she was revealing a great secret. She huffed and kissed him, begrudgingly affectionate, and then finally nodded, a little hesitantly,

"One dinner couldn't hurt, right?" She questioned herself, teeth skimming her lower lip in indecision. Wyatt chuckled a little and shrugged, cocking his head to one side as he looked at her. His lips pursed a little as he thought about it for a moment, glancing into the space over her shoulder, before he slowly dragged his eyes back to hers.

"I think it's me who'll feel his wrath if he gets angry, but I don't particularly mind. He won't harm me fatally, by any means; I'm on good terms with him," he mused, flashing her a small smirk at the fact. He shrugged again, taking the hand that had punched him into his own and bringing it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "It's whatever you want," he told her. Hope grumbled at his perfect response, he always seemed to know exactly what to say, and so she cocked her head, her eyes fixed on a point just past him, and wriggled her nose, an itch persisting, she scratched the tip of her nose idly, returning her hand to Wyatt's once more, and then, nodded stiffly, inhaling in a dramatic motion as she did so, trying to sedate her nerves at the prospect of a disappointed Klaus,

"Let's do it." She agreed, a devious smirk overcoming her features. Wyatt chuckled a little and shrugged, lips pursed as he nodded. He shook his head lightly, a small, faint laugh passing his lips as he leaned down and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to hers, before standing up straight again, arching a single eyebrow.

"Alright then," he hummed, nodding once, "where do you wanna go?" He asked, tilting his head a little. "We've got the entire town to explore, or even outside of it, and many places to choose to go, local or not," he informed her, smirking.

Hope's eyebrows lifted at the thought of leaving town, barely registering that he had kissed her, nodding absently after he had done so, she licked her lips, which were a little raw at this point, from the insistent amount of kissing she had done today,

"Okay..." She agreed, making a snap decision, her eyes settling back on the comfort of his face, "Surprise me." She enthused. Wyatt nodded his head, glancing around the empty streets before quickly scooping her from her feat and blurring away to the Salvatore Boarding House. He set her down on the doorstep once they arrived, hand dipping into his jacket pocket to pull out the key, and unlocked the door, pushing it open and stepping inside. He grinned a little and pecked her cheek, before nudging her into the house, removing the basket from her hands and dropping it at the table. He quickly flitted around the house in an almost invisible blur of movement, the air cutting wherever he moved, before he appeared in front of her again, wallet stuffed with money, and a rucksack in his hands packed with the clothes Hope had left from her stay at the house last week and a pair of his own clothes, some toothpaste, a two-pack of toothbrushes, and a hair brush, plus his phone charger. He quickly ushered her through to the garage, a grin on his face as he pulled out his car keys, pressing a button to unlock his sleek Camaro. Hope watched him with a highly amused and yet surprised look lingering on her face, violently impressed with his efficiency and the fact that he immediately knew what to do in a situation like this, her eyes flitted briefly over what she had seen of the contents of the rucksack,

"We're staying somewhere /overnight/?" She put her hands to her mouth in shock and then slowly dragged the hands down from her mouth, to hold them together against her neck, her eyes on the Camaro, admiring it as Wyatt got in the driver's side, she exhaled shakily and then nodded to herself, confirming she was going to take the risk, sliding into the passenger's side. Wyatt chuckled a little and nodded, opening the back door and throwing the rucksack onto the backseat before closing the door swiftly and gliding to the driver's side, opening the door and slipping into his seat. The door shut with a soft thud and the engine rumbled to life with a smooth purr when he turned the key in its ignition and pressed the button for the garage door to open. As it did, he slowly reversed the car out onto the driveway, before completing a narrow turn as he pressed the button for the garage door to shut and lock again, and put his foot down on the accelerator with a swift press of the clutch and a change of gear, taking off down the road. Hope fidgeted in her seat, clicking her seatbelt into place, her eyes and fingers on the window, her fingers trailing down to patter against the door, her eyes watching the outside world, anxiously. She felt the beginnings of guilt start to settle within her, gnawing at her already. She knew that Klaus will have gone out of his way to arrange a spectacular, special dinner for them all to enjoy, like he always did. He had been trying so hard to be accepting of their relationship, and she was sad to mess with that, but she was just in the mood to be selfish, to get away from all the drama, and spend her time with Wyatt, which was all she really wanted, to be honest. Wyatt side-eyed Hope, a small smile crossing his features. He chuckled and shook his head a little. It was late afternoon by this point, the sun mid-low in the sky and casting a wonderful glow on the place in the hours preceding sunset. The air was humid and warm as it whipped into the car when Wyatt pressed the button for the windows to roll down at both his side and Hope's side; he flicked a button on the car radio, switching on a mix-CD of The 1975, My Chemical Romance, Placebo, Three Days Grace, and other such bands, the music flooding into the car. Satisfied, he pulled his shades from the sun shade above his head and slipped them on, a pair of sleek black Aviators, placing his hand on the bare skin of her thigh, squeezing lightly. There was a coolness about him in that moment, as he relaxed back into the seat, no tension in his body, just cruising around the long expanse of highway, an easy smirk on his face, wind ripping through his hair, and elbow propped on the car door as he kept a hand on the steering wheel, daylight ring glinting in the sunlight. Hope perked up upon hearing the first track on the CD she had made for him, the promise of her favourite band bringing her premature joy, and she turned to share it with Wyatt, but froze, her jaw dropping a little at the sight of him, she groaned inwardly, her face slightly distressed as she looked at him. She weighed over in her mind how to react to how cool and just outright gorgeous he looked, with his shades and his jacket, and his /smirk/, oh god that smirk. She sighed and allowed her eyes to scour and linger, the heat of his hand on her thigh not doing much to help her,

"This simply isn't fair." She stated, a small whine affecting the tone of her voice. She shook her head sadly, and tried to drag her eyes away from him, but found she couldn't. Wyatt eyebrows arched a little, the smirk on his face growing a little, the barest hint of teeth flashing, a dimple appearing in his cheek as he glanced away from the road for a second to simply regard her with a look, before he returned his focus to it, watching the trees and occasional building or other car go by in a brisk blur. He pressed his foot down a little more firmly on the accelerator, rolling his shoulders ever so slightly and licking his lips. He lightly skimmed his thumb across her inner thigh, a subconscious action, brushing it back and forth in a repetitive motion.

Hope glared at him, and stubbornly yanked her gaze back to her legs, and more specifically his hand, she narrowed her eyes at that too. He knew what he was doing, she folded her arms up loosely, over her waist, and simply watched his thumb as it moved, it was almost mesmerising. She shivered a little, a result of the open window, and the highly distracting feeling of him coming into contact with her inner thigh. Wyatt leaned forward slightly to look closer at his surroundings, squinting ever so slightly, before he nodded to himself and took a turning off onto a junction and down a country road, relaxing back into his seat once again. They were shrouded by large hedges that just barely missed scratching along the sides of the car, before the car eventually reached the end of them and continued on the country lane, the roads winding, twisting and turning between an array of large fields and hills, a beautiful baby blue sky with pinked clouds above them. Hope swiftly brought her attention up to the road, squinting at their location,

"So..." She began, prompting the conversation with an easy smile, glad that their silences were always comfortable, "Where are we going?" She asked breezily, glancing around them, admiring the sky, an awed expression on her face that almost outdid the one she had worn when looking at Wyatt, "And where are we staying?" She added as an afterthought, thinking back to the overnight stuff in the rucksack in the back seat. Wyatt shrugged a little, giving her thigh a small, reassuring squeeze as he did so, a small hum escaping his lips. He glanced around idly, just briefly, before paying attention to the sharp turns and bends in the road, thankful that this was a one-way road - country roads, specifically the two-way ones, were always bloody difficult to navigate. He was relieved when they came to a straighter part, and he glanced over at Hope, quirking his eyebrows.

"I was merely driving, being spontaneous," he informed her, "but now I've noticed we're only about forty minutes from Black Hill Regional Park. It's a 2,200 acre park, home to Little Seneca Lake, and there's some boarding lodges for short stays, or there's a nearby BnB if you'd prefer - quaint little place, three rooms, lovely staff and service."

Hope nodded slowly as he spoke, the idea growing on her more and more as he went into detail, she smiled happily at the prospect of just them, away from everyone they knew, away from people who knew who and what they were. It was like an alternate universe where they could just exist together, and she was glad for this little glimpse into that. Hope stifled a yawn against the back of her hand, stretching as much as she could but was restricted in the motion, by her carseat and her seatbelt, she picked up Wyatt's hand on her thigh, and tucked her hand into his, twiddling her thumb against his knuckles, idly. Wyatt glanced at their hands and the ghost of a small smile came onto his face as he laced their fingers together, giving her hand a small squeeze. He rested their joined hands between their seat in the console so he could swiftly change gear when needed to, and cranked up the volume of the radio a little to truly gain the road trip experience. In Wyatt's view, it wasn't a proper road trip if you didn't blast your music, roll down your windows, and lose yourself in the bliss of cruising along a scenic route - something which was made indescribably better by the lack of other cars on the road. He pulled out at the end of the country lane, on a more regular road now that traveled through a small town that was on the way there.

Hope screwed her mouth up, quickly growing tired, and rested her head against the seat, her lids heavy, the only thing anchoring her to consciousness was Wyatt, and the way her hand would occasionally be moved around, as she shifted gears. She made a tired humming sound, lolling her head to the side to watch him, and adore him, perhaps, from her near distance, drinking in his appearance. Hope allowed herself a small, indulgent smile. Wyatt glanced at Hope from the side of his eye, eyebrows arching a little in surprise, but he simply shook his head with a small chuckle and rolled his eyes in a fond manner. He shifted gears again and the car rolled up the steep rise in terrain with minimal effort. He chuckled faintly, almost soundlessly, an immense pleasure filling him for the briefest of moments at the way his car ran so smoothly. He licked his lips, the journey now half over.


	9. Nine: The First Time

Wyatt was lying on his bed, eyes closed and arms behind his head, dressed down in a pair of soft grey sweatpants. The room was at a nice, cozy temperature and the vampire had decided on relaxing for the evening after a long, tiring day. He sighed and let out a little yawn, before turning over and rolling onto his front, burying his face into the pillow and tucking his hands and forearms underneath it, inhaling deeply before letting out a slow sigh, letting his body melt down into the mattress with it.

Hope wandered silently into the room, she had been planning on announcing herself as she entered, but upon seeing Wyatt half asleep on his bed, she decided against it, and cocked her head instead, watching him with a small, almost adoring smile. She stepped out of her shoes and took off her jacket, removing her necklace and bracelets before tiptoeing over to his bed, and settling herself down next to her boyfriend, on the side he had left free.

Wyatt had heard Hope as soon as she'd started to make her way upstairs to him, a small half smile coming onto his face. He stayed with his face buried into the pillow while he listened to the sound of her taking off her accessories and shoes, the rustle of her hanging her jacket. When the bed dipped, he turned his head to look at her, humming out a lethargic hello, sniffing a little. His eyes were heavy-lidded with sleepiness, smile faint and easy.

Hope grinned lazily back at him, rolling over to be closer to him, starting to play absentmindedly with his hair,

"Mmm. Hello." She replied, her voice a soft murmur, the temperature was getting her all sleepy too, and she yawned lightly, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so, and reopened them once she was done, attention on Wyatt once more. She sighed and brought a hand to the side of his face she had access to, trailing her hands soothingly over his cheek, paying close attention to his eyelashes.

Wyatt blinked a little and tilted his head somewhat into her touch, eyes closing for a moment before he opened them and looked at her again. He shifted more onto his side and moved his arm out from underneath the pillow, throwing it over her torso and pulling her closer to him.

"Hi there," he hummed, eyebrows quirking a little as he spoke. He trailed his fingers up and down her spine lightly, smiling. Hope hummed appreciatively, tucking her head down to be nearer to his, smiling at him from a better level of proximity, causing the exchange to be more intimate. She fidgeted until their position was comfortable for the both of them, and one of her hands was down by the one he had thrown over her, playing with his fingers lazily. Wyatt glanced down at their hands with a small, appreciative huffing noise, then looked at her again and chuckled faintly for no apparent reason.

"Missed you," he muttered, leaning forward somewhat and tilting his head to place a light kiss to her lips. He pulled back a little after and simply admired her. Hope scoffed lightly, keeping to the quiet tone they had been maintaining thus far, and trailing her eyes over his features, noting to herself how good he looked in this light,

"I missed you too." She answered softly, leaning their foreheads together casually, breathing in and out through her nose, closing her eyes and basking in the tranquility. She had everything she needed right here, and she was more than content to doze with her boyfriend.

Wyatt let out a small huff of light laughter, eyes closing as he nodded a little, chuckling. He pressed his body up against Hope's, in a manner that could pass for snuggling, perhaps, if you'd dare associate such a thing with him. He dipped his head down and placed a light kiss to her lips, letting it linger for a moment before pulling back just enough to leave about a centimeter's worth of room between their mouths, eyes remaining shut.

Hope hummed a light, melodic tune, and played unobtrusively with his hair, admiring him while she could, before he opened his eyes and caught her. She entwined their feet a little, gently, it was more like she was just tucking her feet in with his somewhat, and it was comforting and this unexplained wave of peace and tranquility, and just warmth took over. She was already warm externally, but now she felt warm on the inside too, she was comfortable. Hope was relaxed, and considering the feat this was due to the people they were in the world they lived in, she was endlessly grateful for it. Wyatt let out an amused noise, shaking his head a little. He shuffled in his place a little and turned to tuck his face against her chest, burrowing his head under her chin and against her neck. He let out a small, quiet sigh and relaxed into her body, allowing himself the comfort of her presence. Hope lifted her chin up to rest it lightly on top of his head, continuing to hum, but a lot lighter now, not wanting to disturb him. She angled her head and pulled back a little to press a kiss to his forehead, as she had felt a sudden urge to do so, before returning to her former position, entangling their legs in a way that was comfortable for the both of them, sighing softly as a pause in her humming, before carrying on the melodic little hum.

Wyatt shifted a little and listened to her humming with a sort of peacefulness about himself, a smile coming onto his face when she kissed his forehead, before he shifted again and adjusted them both, rolling so he was on top of her and leaning down to press a kiss to the pulse in her neck as it calmly thudded under her skin, the sound of her blood flowing through her veins both calming and stirring at the same time. He nuzzled under her jaw a little, before pulling back when his mouth began to itch. He simply kissed her instead, soft and soundly. Hope sighed happily, decidedly a lot more sleepy than when she had entered the room, and allowed herself to be moved about, even rolled, and she craned her neck to give Wyatt more access, until he was finished with it. She automatically brought her hands up to rest on either side of his face, kissing him back sweetly, lazily, not putting too much into it, just enjoying the sensation she had become so accustomed to.

Wyatt tilted his head into the kiss a little and deepened it somewhat, moving his lips in sync with hers and enjoying the feel of her soft-skinned hands cupping his cheeks and jaw. He idly trailed his fingertips down her side to the hem of her t-shirt, playing with it absently before he slipped his hand beneath the fabric and splayed his fingers over her side, broad palm settling on her hips; his fingertips were a little calloused, but the rest of his hand was rather smooth in comparison. Hope smirked lazily against his lips at the feeling, a smile remaining as she felt his fingers along her side, she shivered lightly and fidgeted a little, quickly growing comfortable with the feeling. She felt like she could honestly just do this all day, and not worry about the outside world, about anything beyond them. Hope laughed against his lips, it rumbled in her chest as she did so, and she pushed his face away from her gently, but barely far at all, maintaining the proximity,

"I came in here to nap." She accused him jokingly, her voice close to a whisper, her lips a little pink, and a pleasant kind of blush present on her cheeks. Wyatt made a small, humming noise of protest, the sound coming off as more of a groan as it always did when he was being quiet, voice holding the sort of deep timbre to it that made speaking lowly cause his words to hold a growling sort of quality to them. He huffed and arched an eyebrow at her, puffing his cheeks a little as his lips pursed. He brought his hand up to her face and brushed her hair back, thumb of the hand on her waist stroking back and forth over the jut of her hipbone.

"Can I change your mind?" He questioned, arching an eyebrow. Hope sighed resignedly, and stared up at him in tired amusement, her eyes moving back and forth between his own,

"Most probably. You always do." She answered, not able to shift her sleepy state just yet, and leaned up to kiss him, missing his lips too much all of a sudden, and then settled back down, her eyes open a bit wider, and licked her lips, raising her eyebrows at him. Wyatt grinned a little and shuffled a little, settling himself between her legs and arching his eyebrows, biting down on his bottom lip in an attempt to stop his grin from broadening. He licked his lips and tilted his head a little, eyes exploring her expression freely before he smirked a little.

"That so?" He questioned, leaning down to brush his lips teasingly against hers.

Hope chuckled and hummed in agreement,

"You know it's true. I'm like putty in your hands." She whispered as if she was sharing a great secret, widening her eyes to give emphasis to her words, wrapping her legs around him loosely to accomodate him. She stroked a hand from his temple down to his jaw tenderly, her eyes travelling gradually over every aspect and feature of his face, imitating him by biting down lightly on her lower lip, and arching her eyebrows ever so slightly. Hope returned her eyes to his, her smile was impossible to remove from her face. Wyatt's smirk slowly slipped away and was replaced by a far more sincere, almost intense sort of look. He lightly twisted his fingertips in a strand of her hair, stroking the backs of his fingers along her cheek as he brushed it down, before he let go of it and moved his hand to cup her jaw, thumb running along her bottom lip and releasing it from the grip of her teeth. He caught it with his own lips instead, kissing her more fervently this time. Hope craned her neck a little to meet him, pride in her smile as she did so, making a happy sort of affectionate noise, vocalising how she felt a little, and slipped a hand under his shirt, hand travelling casually over the planes of his torso, she mapped out little pathways across his muscles and traced some small sloppy shapes, curling her fingers as she did so.

Wyatt shifted against her a little, pressing forward into the touch of her fingers against his abs. He made a small noise of approval, low in the back of his throat, and lightly grazed his teeth over her bottom lip, nipping it slightly before soothing it over with his tongue. The hand at her waist slipped a little higher, taking her shirt with it, and he skimmed his fingertips over the expanse of her ribs, following the curves of them. The kiss became a little more urgent, she was definitely awake now, and she fidgeted underneath him, her heart rate picking up as his hand travelled higher. She knew how to control it of course, but she was far too distracted and relaxed to even start on accessing the control that was necessary, and besides, she suspected Wyatt got his kicks out of provoking such a reaction from her, and so she allowed it. Hope continued to trace the creases between his abs, nipping back at him playfullly, demonstrating that two could play at that game. Wyatt grinned a little against her lips before gaining some control over the expressions he allowed himself to make, hand roaming to rest over where her heart was thumping in her chest. He smoothed his palm over to her shoulder, fingers exploring the line of her collarbone, his touches reverent and feathery. Moving his other hand, he tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging ever so slightly as he played with it.

Hope smiled instinctually, as he did so, moving her head a little so that her neck wouldn't be so stiff, and also to kiss him at a new angle. She was happy with this lazy, sweet, laidback kind of make out they had going on, it was carefree and effortless, and she was glad to be stress free and in a situation where there was no drama surrounding them. She brought the hand out from under his top and brushed her hands over his collarbone over his shirt instead, taking advantage of where the shirt hung down a bit due to the position Wyatt was lying in. Wyatt pushed himself up into a press up position for a moment, hovering over her and ducking his head to press a short, sweet kiss to her lips, before he leaned up and stripped himself of his shirt, tossing it aside carelessly before he lay down on top of her again. His lips found hers instantaneously, and he braced an arm beside her head, bearing some of his weight onto it, other hand resuming its previous position.

Hope sighed, and bit her lip as she gazed up at his form, very appreciatively, she gave a slight nod to herself in celebration of her achievements, and had a smirk already on her face when he returned his lips to hers, and she rolled into him a little, placing her pleasantly cool hands on his neck, swiping both of her thumbs back and forth casually. Wyatt shivered lightly at the cool touch of her hands, spine arching somewhat. Pulling away from her lips, he trailed a path of kisses along her jaw and lightly nipped at the hinge of it, before ducking his head down to line her neck with soft, open-mouthed kisses, pausing at the fluttering pulse of her artery. He gently bit down and sucked a mark into the skin, one that'd sadly heal in no time at all, but he felt the need to make it anyway, an invisible claim on her. He lightly tugged at her shirt a little, silently requesting that she remove it. Hope's pulse quickened immeasurably but she knew she was ready to take a step like this, and so she pushed Wyatt away from her enough so that she could sit up and tug her shirt off over her head, messing her hair up as she did so, she raked a hand through her hair to push it back from her face, and threw the shirt in the direction of the door, watching it land in a small bundled up heap. She immediately returned her attention to Wyatt and wrapped one of her arms around his neck loosely, the other coming up to cup his cheek as she kissed him softly, tentatively. She kissed him briefly, pecking his lips a few times with a smile, before attaching their lips for longer.

Wyatt allowed himself the pleasure of admiring her as she removed her shirt, appreciating her soft curves and lightly tanned skin. He glanced up and met her eyes as she looped her arm around his neck, tilting his head into her palm as she cupped his cheek. He let out a soft huff of amusement as she pecked his lips in a quick series, before kissing him properly. He sighed a little, a noise of contentment escaping him as he kissed her with an equal sort of passion, a hand coming down to grip her thigh where it was wrapped around his waist. Hope bounced her foot distractedly, lightly, not aiming to kick him, as she occupied herself with kissing her boyfriend, quite possibly her favourite past time. She had to admit it felt good to hold him and feel bare skin to bare skin, and she shivered in a small sense of delight, her tongue grazing lazily across his lower lip, her lips curved upwards of their own accord. She shifted about a little, straightening out her posture so that she was ever so slightly elevated, affecting the angle of their kiss.

Wyatt smoothed his hand along the back of Hope's thigh and up to the bend of her knee, then down once again where he tucked his fingertips under the hem of her shorts, lightly trailing them along her skin, just barely missing touching her inner thigh. He returned his attention to her neck once again, pulling away from the kiss to leave a trail of biting kisses along the column of her throat, briefly becoming distracted by the flutter of her pulse and touching his tongue to her skin, before he continued his way to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, biting down with blunt teeth on the lean line of muscle there. Hope's breath was coming out a little ragged at this point, and she leaned into him more, not quite understanding how there was room for her to do that, only to be pulled away again, when Wyatt averted his attention to her neck, she hooked her fingers under his jaw delicately, and trailed the fingers along the jawline there, letting her fingers rise and fall in pattern, tilting her head to the side to offer more of herself to Wyatt, her hair dropping down to hang on one side, swinging idly due to the movements they were making together. She placed a hand on his back. Wyatt braced his hands at her hips and gripped them almost roughly, thumbs dipping into the creases of her thighs at her groin; he pulled her tighter against him and moved to press a kiss under the hinge of her jaw before rolling them over so he was on his back, Hope above him, legs straddling his hips, letting her control the situation for a while. He brought a hand up to her neck and cupped the side of it, thumb brushing over her jaw as he drew her down into another kiss, more urgently than before.

Hope grinned at her sudden access to dominance, and placed both hands on Wyatt's chest, making direct eye contact with him and she brought her head down slowly, pressing light kisses across his chest, puckering her lips in a certain way, and gradually trailing the kisses up past his collarbone and to his neck, where she started to kiss more firmly, her teeth coming into play a little, her hair tickling some of his bare skin, lightly. Hope made some temporary hickies, and paused to admire them each time before they would vanish. To accompany this motion, she took a hand off his chest, and just barely began to massage that spot below his ear. Wyatt eyed Hope curiously as she loomed over him, before his eyes fell shut at the feeling of her lips against his skin. He let his head drop back against the pillows as her lips trailed soft little kisses over his chest, a hand coming to cup the back of her neck, idly twisting his fingertips loosely in the hair cascading over her back and shoulders. He clenched his jaw a little, a slight hiss escaping through his teeth before he let his mouth fall open slightly, the sound turning into a soft, breathy noise as her fingers pressed against the soft spot below his ear and her lips made a temporary mess of his neck; it was a thrilling sort of feeling, sending electric-feeling zings through his chest and down to his legs. Hope smirked against his skin, laughing to herself, her sweet breath fanning over his skin as she did so, she paused to tuck some of her hair behind her ear, and then got back to work, placing two of her fingers under his chin to tilt it up, giving her access to his jaw and the underside of it, and so she began to nibble and kiss along it, giving a small kitten lick to any spot she bit down on a little too hard. She shifted about on top of him a little until she was entirely comfortable, continuing the light massaging she was doing to his favourite spot, watching his reaction closely, pleased with the effect she had on him. It was more than reassuring to know this wasn't a one sided kind of thing.

Wyatt clenched his jaw a little, biting down on his lip against a groan. He shifted his hips up a little, an involuntary little movement, abs clenching as he did so. His other hand found its way to her back, ghosting over her spine before finding the clip of her bra, unhooking it with his index finger and thumb, before flattening his hand against her back and smoothing his palm upwards, coming to rest between her shoulder blades; he proceeded to drag his nails lightly down her back and gripped her hip, pulling her closer against him. Hope froze as Wyatt's hand neared her bra, and she actually swallowed when he undid it, she paused for a moment longer before lifting her head to raise an eyebrow at him, a knowing smirk coming out to play on her lips, shivering at the sensation of his nails drawing down her back. She put a hand to her bra, it hadn't come off yet, and she hesitated, and then decided to just let all her worries go, and removed the material, it joined her shirt on the other side of the room shortly after, and then she went back to kissing along his jaw, carrying on where she'd left off.

Wyatt met her eyes as she looked down at him, a quietness about him that somehow translated into his expression. The corners of his lips quirked a little in the beginnings of a reassuring smile, and he kept his eyes on hers as she removed the material from her chest. He tilted his head accommodatingly for her when she returned her focus to his jaw, and pressed their chests together, indulging in the feel of skin on skin with not a fragment between them to intercept the sensation. His fingertips dipped into the hem of her shorts, skimming along the sensitive skin of her lower back. Hope shuddered pleasantly against him and moaned extremely briefly, lightly, the sound vibrating against his neck, where she had been kissing at him, near his pulse. She decided all of a sudden that she was nostalgic for his lips, and was there in a flash, tucking her hair behind her ear so it wouldn't fall onto his face, and cupped his face tenderly, leaning down slowly to press their lips together, sweetly and innocently at first, and then with more urgency, as she got intoxicated by the feeling.

Wyatt tilted his head into the kiss, spine arching a little underneath her. He wrapped his other arm around the top of her back, hand curling over her shoulder blade and fingers splaying over the expanse of it in what was almost a possessive sort of hold as he teasingly dragged his teeth over the flesh of her bottom lip before focusing on the play of their mouths moving together, deepening the kiss. He felt high on her kisses alone, the feeling of her heartbeat pounding against his chest and the rush of her blood through her veins only increasing his intoxication. Hope smiled a little giddily, breaking the kiss occasionally to catch her breath, moving her hands down from his face to get lost in his hair, lightly though, not wanting to tug on his hair and hurt him. She settled down ontop of him more, practically lying on him, their chests pressed together, heartbeat to heartbeat, and the thought made her smile widen, and she closed her eyes, allowing further immersion into her current activiity.

Wyatt couldn't help let out a small chuckle at the play of her thoughts, turning his head a little to press kisses along the line of her shoulder, appreciating the smooth and subtle curves of her body. The hand at her lower back slipped further down, hand resting on her ass, his fingertips ghosting over the top of her inner thigh under her shorts, and Wyatt moved to catch her earlobe between his teeth, tugging softly and flicking the tip of his tongue over it in an almost-playful manner.

Hope yelped and glared at him mockingly, blurring her face away from his dangerous mouth so that she could try to exact her revenge, imitating what he had done to her almost exactly, targeting his earlobe. She purred happily and went back to kissing some part of him, deciding on his forehead this time, leaving small patterns to the far right side of his temple, never removing her hands from his hair, but making sure she wasn't tugging his head back or anything, which of course, sparked the idea, and she gently tugged his hair, causing him to crane his neck, and lift his head up, she snickered at her achievement and went straight below the jaw, kissing sensually in and behind the crook, exploring above and below his defined jaw. Wyatt let out a little laugh, eyes screwing up a little and nose scrunching as she peppered kisses over his face. He cracked an eye open just barely to squint up at her, before a shocked little gasp escaped him as she tugged his hair, a little turn on of his, the gasp turning into more of a shaky, low moan as her lips explored his jaw. He released his hold on her shoulder to clutch at her waist, hips rocking up a little of their own accord. Hope chortled from where she was kissing him, exceedingly pleased and also amused at his reaction, she had not expected this of him. He was like putty in her hands, the way she had described herself being for him,

"Easy there, tiger." She teased, murmuring it as she came back round to kiss him again, grinding down onto him ever so innocently as she did so, tugging on his hair again.

Wyatt growled a little against her lips and rolled them over, pinning her wrists above her head as if he had some kind of a point to prove. He rocked his hips down against hers and kissed her a little more roughly, pressing his chest against hers once more, hands smoothing upwards from her wrists and slipping into hers; he entangled their fingers and gave her hands a small squeeze, nipping lightly on her bottom lip and drawing it into his mouth, tugging softly before releasing it. Hope moaned quietly, although it was more like a mewling sound that a kitten would make, and arched her back up reflexively to meet him when he parted from her, feeling only relief when he promptly came back into contact with her. There was an undeniable heat building up not only between them but inside her now, and she needed some kind of relief, grateful for the movement of their hips when they mashed together. Hope curled her fingers to hold his hands properly, kissing him back with some sort of desperate ferver.

Wyatt let out a small groan against her lips, mind blurring a little with the almost unbearable need for something more, letting her hands go in favour of clutching her against him with a certain degree of urgency to his grasp. He slid a hand down to hitch her leg up, palm running along the back of her thigh and down towards the top of it, tightening his grip ever so slightly as he pushed back against the grind of her hips. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and gently lapped over the inside of it, breaths becoming less even and more ragged. Hope considered putting her hands in his hair again, but she knew that was just her nerves trying to prevent her from getting anything in motion, and so she very deliberately started to play with the waistline of his sweatpants, hands smoothing down past his V-line to end up on his hips, gripping them a little to pull them towards her a little more forcefully, she bit down on his lower lip, panting a little, tugging on it briefly before just full on kissing him, in a way that could only be described as dirty.

Wyatt made a soft sound in the back of his throat at the feel of Hope's hands skimming over his V-line and gripping his hips, the tribrid finding yet another sensitive spot of his - he had a weakness for pretty much any kind of touches to his hips, particularly the pressure points nearer to his groin, though admittedly any pressure applied to those would probably have him responding with something similar to a knee-jerk reaction. He buried a hand in her hair and wound his fingers in it, tugging just enough to get her to bare her throat to him, tilting his head, biting down a little roughly, just below the borderline of pain, and sucked a dark mark into the flesh of her neck, one that'd take a lot longer to heal. He soothed it over with his tongue and took a few seconds to admire his work, before trailing softer kisses down to her chest. Hope gasped and moaned a little louder this time, bucking her hips up, and arching her spine once again, eager for his touch and his methods. She felt so alive, and so damn turned on, it was ridiculous. There was this weird tension smothering her and Wyatt seemed to be the only thing that could relieve it, she tugged his sweatpants a little so that the waistband was resting on the lower part of his hips, his V-line clearly visible now, and she bit her lip to contain the volume of a moan, letting her head fall back to hit the pillow, praying no-one would come home anytime soon.

Wyatt let his lips drag over the length of her collarbone 'til he reached the jut of it, which he lightly swirled his tongue around before bending his head lower to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses over her breasts, nipping gently at the flesh every once in a while and soothing the tiny nips with soft flicks of his tongue. He brought a hand to her shorts, thumbing them open and dragging the zipper down, so slowly it was almost torturous, and grazed his teeth lightly over her areola.

Hope let out a lengthy moan, resonating from the base of her throat and filling the room, she squirmed ever so slightly under his touch, a nervous reaction, a knot in her stomach indicating to her that she really was nervous about this, but her feelings about the moment itself not allowing her to be overwhelmed by it. She carressed his face affectionately, watching him as he worked on her chest, and she tickled her fingers very very lightly down near that special spot by his ear, rolling her hips up to meet his. Wyatt shivered automatically at the ticklish touch of her fingertips against the spot below his ear and squirmed a little, shoulders flexing as he craned his neck somewhat. He lightly flicked his tongue over her nipple before wrapping his lips around it and sucking with a gentle pressure, teeth scraping tenderly before he released it and scooted down her body, leaving a path of feather-light kisses down her torso, her softly toned abdomen.

Hope sighed shakily and a small crease in her brow appeared as he got closer and closer to where she knew he would eventually head to, and she bit down on her lip, hard, trembling lightly against her will, the nerves finally coming out to play. She refused to let herself ruin the moment for the both of them, so she arched her back yet again, and struggled with her shorts until they were down by her feet and then kicked them off, aiming perfectly so they would land with the rest of her clothes over by the door. Wyatt lifted his head a little and glanced at her, arching his eyebrow somewhat. He gave her a little smile and cocked his head to the side somewhat, an assessing gaze in his eyes before he licked his lips and spoke.

"You don't have to do this if you're too nervous," he told her with a small shrug, curling his hand around her hip and brushing his thumb back and forth in soft sweeps over the jut of it.

Hope huffed awkwardly and rolled her eyes up to the ceiling for a moment, trying to determine how she felt at the core of everything, and came to the conclusion that there was nothing she wanted more at this moment in time, and so she brought herself back to Wyatt, getting up and slipping out of his hold on her hips, crawling over to sit infront of him, cupping his face with her hands and leaning down to kiss him,

"I want to do this." She confirmed with no hesitation, smiling assuredly.

Wyatt felt a smile come across his face under her lips as she kissed him, the smile only widening when she pulled away and confirmed her consent with a smile of her own. He rolled onto his back easily, bringing her with him and pulling her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her waist and letting her dictate their next moves. He brought a hand to her cheek and caught her lips in another kiss, tilting his head up into it, arching his back a little to press closer to her, hips gently rolling upwards against hers. Hope hummed sensually and ducked her head down to kiss him, her hair falling from behind her ear and curtaining the both of them, she laughed against his lips and pulled away from him to sort her hair out, tucking it securely behind her ears to keep it out of the way, and then she paused and looked at him, a smile lingering on her lips, a fond expression overcoming the previous, and when she kissed him again it was soft and adoring. She suddenly brought her legs up so that she was straddling him once again, and began to grind down exactly onto him, moaning softly and bringing her torso down to be nearer to his, her hips rolling forward and creating stimulation for the both of them. Wyatt laughed lightly as she tucked her hair behind her ears and gave her a fond look, shaking his head a little, a small smile on his face. He hummed softly when she kissed him, enjoying the affection of it; he wasn't used to people genuinely caring for him, treating him like he was important with soft kisses and adoring touches, fond looks and laughter. It was an entirely new experience, and it'd taken a lot of getting used to but he was slowly getting to a place where he could be entirely comfortable with the easy sort of love that seemed to flow like a constant stream of energy within Hope, the almost carefree type of innocence in her bubbly aura that came from a life lived relatively happily. He couldn't help the surprised moan that left him at the sudden movement of her legs, the overwhelming feel of her grinding down so hotly against where he needed her the most. His hands found their way to her hips once more as he pushed up to meet her movements, their kiss turning more dirty and heated.

Hope smirked against his lips, kissing him back a little roughly, rolling her hips slowly and teasingly, the motion was exaggerated when she performed it, and she broke the kiss to rest her forehead against his, moaning through the means of something that was close to a soft whine, closing her eyes and biting down on her lip, humming softly and inhaling a little sharply at the sensations she was feeling, getting close to what she was needing, but not quite, not yet. Wyatt made a rough noise that sounded in the back of his throat as Hope broke off the kiss and rested her forehead against his. The little moans and almost-whines she was making only served to further arouse him, nearly driving him crazy with want. He tilted his head forward a little, biting his lip roughly to the point of drawing blood at the sight of her hips moving against his, the effortless, slow rolls of her body making his head spin. He released the grip his teeth had on his lip with a sharp exhale, a hand coming to grip her inner thigh just to do something, anything, needing some kind of anchor. He tilted his head away from hers and buried his face into the crook of her shoulder, mouthing and biting at the sensitive spot in her neck.

Hope started to add miniature gasps to the lists of sounds she was routinely making, suddenly feeling the absence of Wyatt's forehead against hers, she opened her eyes and felt him before she saw him, burying his face in her shoulder, and she opened her mouth to protest on instinct when she realised what he was planning on doing, not wanting to lose her dominance yet, but then it was too late, and with a weak groan, her body kind of went limp, not possessing enough control to resist doing so after he found her sensitive spot. Hope laughed and looked up at the ceiling before her eyes flitted to Wyatt,

"I think you should take over." She whispered, laughter still on her lips. Wyatt grinned a little at her and pressed a brief kiss to her lips before rolling them over so he was on top. He kicked away his sweatpants in a swift motion before settling in the V of her legs once again, only their underwear between them. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her slowly but passionately, rolling his hips down against hers in a slow, well-practiced rhythm that had them grinding together in just the right way to make her throb, his fingers slipping under the material of her underwear at her hip, tugging it lightly but making no further movements as of yet, simply kissing her and rocking into her body. Hope hissed and then moaned, letting her mouth hang open, in awe of how good he was at this. Although, she supposed this shouldn't surprise her at all, as this was Wyatt, after all, and he was amazing at everything. She brought her head back to level with his and she sensed him nearing her, and kissed him just as eagerly, making tiny muffled sounds of pleasure against his lips, eyelids fluttering closed, and her legs coming up to wrap themselves tightly around him. He grunted a little at the clutch of her legs around his hips that pressed them tighter against each other and began kissing over her shoulder and neck, light kisses that teased her with the promise of better use of his mouth as he slowly slid himself down her body, letting his tongue trace over her stomach as he went down, 'til he reached her hips and moved to graze his teeth over the jut of her hipbone. He pressed a kiss to her stomach just above the hem of her underwear, tongue running along the line of it slowly in a sensual tease.

Hope cursed and scowled at him, narrowing her eyes, but not managing to hold back the little smirk that remained on her lips, her stare was hungry and she watched his every move very closely, squirming a little underneath him but not protesting, she merely breathed in and out, and watched him. She heard her heartbeat pick up, wondering how it hadn't deafened Wyatt already, and brought her fingers up to brush across his cheek in affectionate passing, before she curled her fingers loosely around tiny bunches of the sheets either side of her, somewhat bracing herself. Wyatt tilted his head against her touch before it left him again, and glanced up at her as he hooked his fingers into her underwear, slowly sliding it down her legs, lifting himself up a little so he could get rid of them entirely before he settled again. He smoothed his hands along her calves and up to her knees, gently pushing them apart, and pressed his mouth the her inner thigh just above her knee cap. He parted his lips and slowly kissed his way up along her thigh, hand following the path of his mouth on the other side of her leg, 'til he reached the crease of her hip, lightly nipping the thin skin there and tracing his tongue over the line of her groin. Hope's eyes rolled up and into the back of her head and she let her head drop to hit the bed, bouncing a little on the harsh impact, and she almost brought her knees together, but prevented herself from doing so, not wanting to squish her boyfriend. She laughed breezily at that, but the sound died as soon as she'd started to make it, translating swiftly into a moan/whimper, and she was glad she'd decided to take the precaution of having the sheets ready to grip onto, because she gripped them, her lips parting.

Wyatt made a small humming noise, the sound holding a faintly amused note to it in regards to her laughter, before he wrapped his arms around her legs, hands coming to clutch her thighs and forearms resting on her hips, keeping her pinned down to the bed. He lightly traced the tip of his tongue over her entrance, before licking over her vulva, swirling his tongue in a circular motion, closing his lips around her and sucking lightly. Hope froze, and then it felt like she melted, nothing in her vocabulary could possibly describe how amazing it felt, and so she said nothing, there was just this thick with lust silence, that was interrupted only by the sounds Wyatt was making, and the little breathy whimpers and moans Hope was making, and she arched her back, clutching hard at the sheets, she'd never felt pleasure like this before and he wasn't even inside her yet. She had no idea how she was going to cope with that. Knowing Wyatt he would be crazy good at it, too.

Wyatt made a low humming noise that communicated that he was pleased with her reaction, the sound vibrating against her and only serving to further stimulate her. He flicked his tongue against her most sensitive parts and even gently used his teeth before slipping his tongue inside her, pushing and pulling in a manner that imitated fingering, loosening her up and making her wetter, the hands at her thighs tightening their grip on reflex. Hope was glad he had chosen to place his hands as barriers on her legs, as she went to squeeze them shut, his hands being the only thing stopping her from doing so, she had just managed to settle back down from her previous exertion of arching her back, but she found herself doing it again on reflex, and her hands unclenched to let the bundled up sheets go, and instead reached her arms out to grip onto the edge of the bed either side of her, nails digging in, she gasped and then moaned his name out loud, letting out a small high pitched whimper after doing so.

Wyatt shifted himself and arranged his arms so that one lay across her hips, the other coming between her legs. He lightly brushed his fingertips over her inner thigh, before slowly pushing his middle finger in alongside his tongue, curling it at just the right angle to massage her g-spot. He withdrew his tongue for a moment, pulling away and simply watching his finger as it disappeared inside her, before he returned his focus on making her feel good, adding a second finger and tracing her clitoris with the tip of his tongue. Hope cracked an eye open and lifted her head up to watch him suspiciously, a vague idea of what he could be doing crossing her mind, and then she opened the other eye, her mouth popping open in a silent o shape, and then she gasped as the finger entered her, slowly. She growled lightly, her eyes flashing wolf and then vampire, before going back to normal, and she frowned suddenly, realising he was going to try and devote his time to her. She was a witch, and so, naturally, she cared about balance. Hope used her supernatural speed to switch them around flinging his boxers away from them, and settling down between his legs, eyes peering up into his in fake innocence, as she very deliberately took a delicate hold of his length and took the tip of it in her mouth.

Wyatt let out a cut-off noise of surprise as he found himself suddenly flipped onto his back, eyes a little wide with the shock of it. He propped himself up, head a little dizzy with the quick swing of things before the world finally seemed to stop spinning, and he glanced down at Hope curiously before he realised what she was doing. His breath hitched a little in his throat at the delicate touch of her fingers wrapping around him, and he couldn't help the way his head dropped back with a groan, eyes falling shut as she took him into her mouth. Hope smirked further against his length, more than pleased with the reaction, and then she very slowly brought her lips down until she almost reached the very base of him, showing off her lack of a gag reflex. She returned her eyes to him, and watched him with dark, lusty eyes, beginning to bob her head up and down in a rhythm that was sensual and slow at first. She brought her free hand up to catch his hand where he had left it lying and held it loosely. Wyatt was making almost helpless noises, low groans and the occasional breathy sort of almost-whimper whenever she took him down into her throat. He clutched her hand tightly in a grasp that was nearly painful, eyes screwed shut as his chest heaved somewhat. His other hand fisted into the bed sheets at his side, gripping tightly in an attempt to refrain from burying his fingers in her hair. Hope started to bob a little faster, the hand she had wrapped around the part of him her lips couldn't reach started to squeeze lightly and flick upwards, helping him along as much as she could, the moans and sounds he was making only served to drive her, and was like music to her ears. She never took her eyes off him, and paused to collect her hair up and throw it over her other shoulder, spreading out more on the bed so she could work on him comfortably.

Wyatt dropped back against the bed completely, arms giving out under him. He panted a little and blinked up at the ceiling for a moment, before his eyes closed again as he clenched his jaw, arching his back a little at the sheer pleasure coursing through his body and flooding his entire system. He cursed a little under his breath, tipping his head back, before he reached down and pulled Hope up onto his body, pulling her down for a filthy kiss, tilting his head into it and tangling his tongue with hers. Hope made a surprised noise that quickly dissolved into a laugh as she was suddenly wrenched from him, making sure she let him out of her mouth carefully, because that would certainly be a mood killer. She was ready for the kiss the moment she saw the intent all over his face, and she grabbed desperately at his jaw, tilting his head to angle it for a better angle, kissing him back with just as much ferocity and desire as he was giving her, perhaps even more. She reached blindly behind her and managed to get a gentle grasp of his length once again, and pleasured him the best she could, whilst still kissing him as intimately as she was. Wyatt groaned a little into the kiss and rocked his hips up into her grasp, slipping his arm between them and tugging her closer to him, moving his hand between her legs and massaging her clitoris in quick, circular motions with the heel of his hand as he slipped two fingers inside her and fucked them in and out at a similar pace, curling them to press against her g-spot with every thrust. He grazed his teeth over her bottom lip during the kiss and nibbled at it a little, a soft moan slipping out.

Hope moaned steadily, eyes fixed on him, straying to shift to that of a wolf's, occasionally, and she took a sharp inhale upon feeling his fingers enter her again, her moans becoming more frequent, and in time with the rhythm he was creating instead. She took a steady breath and took her free hand away from where she had rested it and placed it on his cheek, breaking the kiss with a final, sweet kiss to his lips, before she spoke in an almost whisper, peering up into his eyes,

"I'm ready." She murmured, knowing he would know what she meant, and if he didn't then he was Wyatt, he could just read her mind to get the answer. Wyatt glanced at Hope and searched her expression, nodding a little and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. He shifted a little underneath her and withdrew his fingers, wrapping his hand around the base of his length and lining himself up, before he slowly pressed his hips upwards and pushed into her. He ran his other hand soothingly over her spine and down her back to settle at her hip, anchoring her somewhat as he bottomed out, keeping himself still and steady to let her adjust. Hope hissed a little at first, and then bit down hard on her lip, whimpering once at the feeling. She exhaled slowly and looked off to the right, fixed on the wall while she focused on how he felt inside her, and then, when she felt comfortable, she settled herself down onto him, slowly, and he slid further inside her. Hope's eyes snapped to Wyatt as a quiet moan escaped her, eyes wide and lips parted, chest rising and falling, a steady blush present on her cheeks. She looked to him for further instruction, licking her lips.

Wyatt ran his hands along her sides, wrapping his arms around her and holding her to him before he gently rolled them over, doing so slowly to avoid jostling her, and lay Hope down on her back, positioning himself between her legs and lower himself down so there was as little room as there could be between them while still allowing him to move properly. He slowly pulled out halfway, before pushing back into her in one smooth, long thrust, arms braced either side of her head as he leaned down and caught her lips with his, kissing her deeply.

Hope tried to steady her breathing as Wyatt took care of the rest, and suddenly she was on her back, and she was thankful for it. She had a feeling she would become too weak and blissful to operate on her own, this was the ideal position for her to start off with, in reality. She gasped loudly as he thrust into her, cursing under her breath and then groaning in pleasure, her eyes wide and shocked, but they were lit up, and then Wyatt was kissing her, and she could not think of a better possible combination of feelings. They had never been so intimate before, and now they were actually physically connected, and they were one, in a way, she snorted lightly and pushed her usual cheesy thoughts out of the way so she could focus entirely on Wyatt and the things he was doing to her.

Wyatt let out an amused noise, the one that said he'd read her thoughts yet again―it wasn't like he actively tried to do so, but Hope fit into the category of people he liked to address as "loud thinkers", their minds being so easy to read that most of the time it was like they were broadcasting their thoughts for the entire world to hear. It didn't bother him at all, though. He began to build up a rhythm, thrusting deep inside her with slow, sensual rolls of his hips, angling himself to brush her g-spot every time, their position meaning each thrust would stimulate her clitoris every time. He brought a hand to her jaw, cupping it and brushing his thumb over her cheek lightly as he kissed her heatedly. Hope scowled at him, recognising that noise all too well, it was one she had become reluctantly accustomed to, and was going to open her mouth to say something, but was left entirely too speechless to even think or move for a second, a pleasured, shaky release of breath indicating that she couldn't even properly vocalise anything, as the pleasure was too strong. She whimpered desperately and hid her face in his chest, clinging onto him and wrapping her legs around him, which only served to put her in a worse state, as it improved the angle at which he could thrust into her, hitting the damned g spot exactly and directly every time. She groaned out his name a couple of times, but apart from that, Hope found herself completely unable to speak.

Wyatt groaned softly and slipped a hand down to Hope's legs, encouraging the clutch of her thighs around his hips, grabbing a pillow from the other side of the bed and sliding it underneath her, changing up the angle and allowing him to push deeper. He shuddered a little and tilted his head to the side a little, bringing his hand to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair, supporting her there as he rocked into her. He buried his face into her neck with a small moan and bit down on the soft spot at the juncture of her neck, sucking the skin roughly.

Hope only clung onto him tighter, her mouth permanently open as a reaction to how she was feeling, she allowed her eyes to drift closed and listened only to the sounds Wyatt was making as he rocked her, and the little vocalisations that slipped past his lips every now and again, an unconscious smile spreading her lips up, and finally causing her to be able to close her mouth. She was managing to gain more of her control back now, and was not so weirdly paralysed as she had been before, she growled softly and affectionately at Wyatt as he worked on her neck, turning her head in towards him more so that he wouldn't have to crane his neck to reach the spot he desired. It was funny how she completely trusted him not to bite her now, when not long ago, she wouldn't have even allowed herself to be in the same room as him. Hope disregarded such memories, and focused on the present.

Wyatt let the sound of her racing pulse and the rush of her blood in her veins lull him somewhat, the sound oddly comforting and also gratifying, and paid particularly close attention to the vocal utterances of her pleasure, and the way her body responded to his so beautifully. He kissed up along the column of her neck with light, sucking kisses, up to the hinge of her jaw where he brushed his tongue over her jawline and traced it 'til he reached the corner of her mouth, lifting his head a little so he could kiss her. He set his arms either side of her head again, letting go of her jaw in favour of bracing himself as he picked up the speed of his thrusts and pumped his hips a little harder. Hope moaned and whimpered against his lips, her brow creasing and her grip on him tightening noticeably as he picked up the pace, arching her back to press herself even, impossibly, closer, and lost herself in the kiss, unable to help the easy, carefree, loving smile that she met his lips with. Hope was pleased with how they fitted together, noting somewhere towards the back of her mind how easily they could access each other. Hope wondered idly if she would be reading a book right about now if she had never accepted his request to take her to dinner, and she kissed him more earnestly. That was a dull world. A world she would never wish to live in.

Wyatt's abs tightened a little as he began to draw closer to his climax, and he tilted their foreheads together, lips just barely brushing with Hope's as he drove hard into her, arching his back a little to press deeper, his eyes screwed shut with both pleasure and concentration as he focused on bringing them both to the edge, slipping a hand down between them in the slither of space that remained between their bodies and circling her clitoris with his fingertips in time with the rhythm of his thrusts, ducking his head down to bite and suck and kiss over every sensitive point he knew in her neck and shoulders, and the few under her jaw, a breathy sort of low keen escaping him.

Hope didn't know what exactly it was Wyatt was doing to her, but she knew that it was working, her gasp turned into a sharp inhale that rose in pitch, and her nails dug into him a little, unintentionally, something she remedied immediately. Without meaning to, Hope gave Wyatt a small shock, transmitted through her fingers, not enough to harm or even bother him that much, it was just a light electric feeling, and she had no control over it. She peered at him apologetically, but then her face shifted and her eyes shut abruptly, and she clenched her jaw ever so slightly, on the verge of her climax.

Wyatt's whole body shuddered as the small shock ran through his system, but the edge of pain only added to his pleasure, and he found himself biting down on Hope's shoulder as he began to lose the rhythm of his thrusts, clutching Hope's hip firmly while his other arm continued to brace her. He groaned a little and buried his face into the crook of her neck, riding them both to their climax, his breathing becoming shaky and uneven. Hope brought both hands round to the back of his head, cradling him to her, her legs tightening around his waist. She shivered moments after he had shuddered, sensing the same wave of pleasure, and groaning loud and indulgently, not caring if anyone were to hear her at this point. She brought her mouth close to his ear and began to whisper sweet nothings to him, pressing a light kiss to his ear every now and again, inhaling him as she did so. Hope felt herself clench and her walls tightened around him, and then she hissed, eyes widening, and then her high came, and it was the purest sense of bliss she had ever known, she threw curses and moans at nothing in particular, crying out in nothing but pleasure and then when she'd come down to reality again, she rolled her hips up to meet Wyatt as he thrusted, nibbling on his earlobe simultaneously, trying to get him to the same state.

Wyatt's entire body rattled in his pleasure as Hope whispered to him, her lips occasionally brushing his ear as she inhaled his scent. He'd never experienced anything as intimate as this, finding it all a little overwhelming. He buried his face against her chest as she found her release and let out a choked off moan as the clench of her inner walls around him drove him over the edge, and he thrust once, twice more before stilling, buried deep inside her as he gasped out what might have almost been her name, body finally slackening above her; he allowed himself to rest on top of her, careful not to smother her, and caught his breath again.

Hope panted, the sound coming out as little laughs, not because anything was funny, just because she was so damn happy. She stroked his hair and waited for him to catch his breath, pressing a few light kisses to him where she could, not smothering him in them, just generally showing him affection. She hummed and sighed, desiring to stretch and work out the kinks in her body, the stiffness. Hope suddenly realised how appealing the thought of a shower was, and decided that to have one would be her first course of action. Wyatt snorted a little at her thought processes and shook his head a little with a small, laughing sigh, rolling his eyes playfully as he moved off of her and rolled off to the side, laying on his back. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment before he glanced back at Hope with a small smile, amused and fond, eyebrows arching a little as if he were saying, Well, what are you waiting for?

He moved onto his side, facing her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek, trailing his fingertips over her stomach lightly. Hope raised her eyebrows with him, gesturing towards himself,

"You know, we owe it to the planet to save as much water as we can," She began, her tone casual and informative, with a little selfless shrug, and the beginnings of a smirk, she looked at him very pointedly, and then flitted her eyes to the bathroom. She laughed and swiveled on the bed to be lying on his chest, staring up at him, tracing along his jawline, a few of the rougher hickies she'd given him still remained there. Wyatt rolled his eyes with a small snort, shaking his head with an amused little grin as he looked down at her.

"You are so predictable," he teased her, tone fondly mocking. He cupped her cheeks with a little chuckle and nuzzled their noses before pressing a kiss to her lips, humming softly before nodding his head. "M'kay, then, baby," he mused, "let's shower."

Hope did a cliche little fist pump motion and then stretched out, groaning and allowing herself to mend out the aches and whatnot. She winked at Wyatt and then got to her feet, a little unsteady at first, she took a cautionary breath and then continued to the bathroom without a problem, she turned the shower on and then waited, for the water to get warm, and for Wyatt.

Wyatt watched her go with a mixture of amusement and appreciation in his expression as he admired the curves of her body and the way her hips swayed as she walked away from him. He lay there for a moment longer before sighing, looking up at the ceiling with a smug sort of satisfaction about him before he pushed up out of the bed and followed her through to the bathroom, appearing next to her in a flash, making her jump a little; he wound his arms around her waist from behind, hands resting on her lower abdomen. Hope growled lightly at the fact that he was still able to make her jump. She leaned back into him anyway, a little disgruntled, and mumbled something about her being distracted to excuse the fact she hadn't sensed him quick enough. Hope watched the water calmly, the sound serving to soothe her, and she closed her eyes, humming lightly as she did so, and rested the back of her head on Wyatt's chest, her hands laying on top of his,

"Thank you." She murmured quietly, turning her head a little towards him as she did so. Wyatt pressed little kisses along the back of her neck and shoulders before coming to hook his chin over her left shoulder, and he arched his eyebrows with a little noise of inquiry, a humming sound in the back of his throat as he glanced back at her, tilting his head a little. His brow furrowed a little as he squinted at her.

"For what?" He questioned, a little confused by her apparent gratitude. Hope snorted lightly, rolling her eyes, surprised he hadn't just picked the thought out of her head,

"For the sex." She leaned up on her tip toes to whisper it to him, as if it were a conspiracy or a great secret. She bit her lip and shook her head in amusement as she set back down on her feet, bringing one of his hands up to her mouth to kiss, and then hold to her cheek affectionately. Wyatt snorted a little and shook his head with a mock-exasperated sigh, tutting and rolling his eyes.

"What am I gonna do with you, ay?" He mused, a small smirk on his face as she glanced at him. He brushed his thumb over her cheek while she held his hand to her face, before swiftly lifting her into the shower and following in behind her. Hope turned around under the water to get all of her hair wet, and then stepped aside so Wyatt could have access to the warm stream of water, she collected a small puddle of water in her hands and splashed her face with it, a lot more refreshed now than she had been a minute ago, she thought about his question as she twirled her wet hair round one of her fingers,

"That's something to be answered another day." She answered simply, giving him a smile, and taking a moment to admire him. She sighed in an extremely awed fasion, and tilted her head, her eyes travelling over the entirety of him, a proud little smile on her face.

Wyatt tipped his head back underneath the stream of water, closing his eyes against it as he ran his fingers through his hair, getting it wet. He shook out his hair a little before tilting his head down again and blinking open his eyes with an audible exhale, wiping away the droplets from his face. He glanced at Hope and arched an eyebrow at the smile on her face - her expression as a whole, really. He tilted his head to the side a little with a small, amused smirk.

"Y'alright there?" He asked her with a small chuckle. Hope smirked and came forward to join him under the stream, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing a lingering kiss to his lips, looking up at him,

"Just checkin' ya out." She answered a little cheekily, but also somehow managing to pass it off as casual, too, and then turned around to reach for the shampoo. Wyatt rolled his eyes a little with a small chuckle, shaking his head. He leaned down and nipped the back of her neck as she turned to reach for the shampoo, smirking to himself.

"M'kay," he muttered against her ear, pressing a kiss there. Hope shivered and then brushed him off, with a flirty little wink, and went through the process of washing one's hair, humming along to an absent song, although she seemed to have picked the tune from something, as it was definitely familiar, just not easy to place. She cracked an eye open to look at him every now and again, and would sometimes shuffle over to kiss him, or come into contact with him somehow. She was in a very lovey dovey mood, and she figured it was the after effects of sex.

Wyatt glanced over at her as he took the shampoo and squirted a dollop into his palm, before re-capping it and putting the bottle back on its stand. He lathered the gel in his hands and ran them through his hair, soaping it up, dragging his nails over his scalp as he gave it a good scrub to clean it. He dipped his head back into the stream afterwards and rinsed it out. Hope finished up before he did, and so she scooted around him, and hopped out, grabbing a towel, wrapping it around herself, and then grabbing a secondary one to dry her hair with, she started to do so as she exited the bathroom, strolling into the room, glancing around her at the various clothes strewn over the floor, as they caught the corner of her eye, and raised an eyebrow at the clothes, deciding they could wait for after. Hope continued the hum she had going in the shower and bobbed her head along a little in time with it, as she began to dry her body.

Wyatt quickly scrubbed his body clean with the shower gel and his scrunchy, before rinsing off and turning the shower knob in the opposite direction to its current direction, stopping the flow of water. He stepped out and grabbed a towel, scrubbing himself down and ruffling his hair with it before wrapping it around his hips and wandering into the bedroom again. Hope looked up at the exact moment he entered the room, smiling pleasantly. She was lounging around on the bed, wearing nothing but one of his particularly large shirts, and a pair of his boxers, and she saluted him, her hair still wet. Hope returned to watching the world outside of the window.

Wyatt glanced her up and down, eyes darkening a little at the sight of her, and he made an appreciative humming noise, dropping his towel and pulling on a pair of boxers followed by a pair of tight black slacks, making his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pressed a kiss to the hinge of her jaw, breathing her scent.

"Mm, there's a Founder's Ball tonight," he told her, hence the slacks. He was enjoying that she smelled like his shampoo and body wash a lot. Hope perked up at that, and turned around in his arms to face him, excited and a little apprehensive all at once,

"I've heard of that." She answered, musing over who it would have been that informed her of it's existence and then came quickly to the conclusion that it was in fact Bonnie. She smiled at the thought of the little witch, and then returned her entire focus to Wyatt,

"Don't you have to have an invitation to go?" She asked curiously, raising an eyebrow, watching him. Wyatt smirked a little, cupping her cheeks in his hands and brushing his thumbs over her cheekbones, and pressed a kiss to her lips, letting it linger for a moment before he pulled back and made an amused noise. He moved away from her to return to his dresser, from where he swiftly removed a white envelope from under a silver tray and brandished it at her, smirking a little.

"Pays to be related to the Salvatore's when they're a part of this... infiltrated council," he grinned, a smug note to his voice. Hope watched him, astonished, and then immediately started laughing, walking over to meet him and accept the envelope, she slid the invitation out from the envelope and saw that her name was actually on it, she snorted and looked back up to him, an incredulous smirk on her face,

"How did you know I would say yes to going?" She asked, waving the invitation at him, her eyebrows now both raised, and her smile ever present. Wyatt grinned a little and brushed his fingers through her still-wet hair and tilted his head to the side a little, humming with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"I'd like to think I've gotten to know you pretty well by now," he told her simply, lips quirking, "enough to know you'd jump at the chance of attending one of the famous Founder's Balls, the height of elegance and scheming in Mystic Falls," he chuckled. Hope huffed, rolling her eyes in a half gesture, crossing her arms as she gazed back at him, careful not to bend or crumple the invitation as she shrugged,

"Oh, alright. Well done, babe." She patted his cheek and meant to turn away and walk over to find her phone, but found she couldn't for a moment, caught in his gaze. She frowned and shook her head, scoffing at herself and muttering under her breath as she wandered towards the center of the room, rooting around in her belongings for her phone.

Wyatt quirked his eyebrows a little as he looked at her, before shaking his head dismissively, figuring she'd find whatever she was looking for, and turning to take the deodorant from his dresser, applying it to his underarms before setting it down again and slipping on a thin vest to go underneath his shirt for the night. Hope found her phone and immediately threw it deftly across the room to land on the bed, after seeing how many missed calls and voicemails she had from Klaus, she scowled at the phone from where she was standing and then went back to picking up her belongings, folding them and placing them on the bed. She wandered back over to Wyatt and kissed his cheek, and then stood infront of him for a moment or two, trying to remember what it was she had been wanting to say,

"I don't have my dress." She smiled easily upon remembering, tapping at her chin with her finger. Wyatt shook his head a little with an amused look on his face.

"I, uh, I hope you don't mind," he began, biting his lip a little. He walked over to his wardrobe and opened out the doors, taking down a hanger from its rack that had a long bag over it that covered a dress inside. He turned around and walked back over to her, handing her the garment with an almost-timid look. "I had one picked out, for ease and for the sake of colour-coding, and I was fairly certain it was just your style."

Hope could only watch him, with wide eyes and parted lips, she blinked once or twice, glancing down at the bag and then back up to him,

"This is... for me?" She asked, wondrously, as if she couldn't quite process the concept, and then upon confirmation, she nodded slowly, licking her lips and unzipping the bag, peeking inside. She gasped and then pulled the dress out of the bag all at once, a look of pure joy on her face,

"This is me if I were born a dress." She joked, appraising it, and then laying it carefully aside to come over and cup his face, pressing a sincere and grateful kiss to his lips, nuzzling their noses together the same way he liked to, and then pecking his lips once again,

"Thank you." She said for the second time that day. Wyatt watched her reaction with a pleased note of interest to his expression, and he smiled as she nuzzled their noses and pecked his lips, humming softly. He loosely weaved his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, nosing at her cheek lightly before he dipped his head down to bury his face in her neck, inhaling her scent deeply with a sigh.

"You're welcome," he told her quietly, muttering the words into her neck.

Hope stayed in his arms, making them sway ever so lightly, leaning her cheek on his head, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck, allowing herself to get lost in the irresistible phenomenon that was Wyatt, she hummed happily and carressed the base of his neck, massaging it almost,

"What does one do at a Founder's Ball?" She asked suddenly, realising she'd been told all about it by Bonnie, but that she had never been given any specifics, as Bonnie had been focused on the glamour. Wyatt shrugged a little and skimmed his fingertips along her back lightly with a small hum.

"Dance, drink, listen to a speech, eat food, dance, drink, all that stuff," he told her with a small smile, leaning back a little to look down at her, tilting his head somewhat. "They're really just a cover up for the council meetings, but it's always a good time provided nobody decides to be a supernatural dick and ruin the whole thing," he said, grinning broadly. Hope laughed breezily, bringing her hands away from his neck and securing them together on his lower back, her arms encircling his waist,

"And of course, a supernatural dick always shows up to ruin the whole thing?" She questioned, finding Mystic Falls to be quite predictable at times, but somehow also managing to be entirely unpredictable as well. She leaned into him and planted a quick kiss to his jaw.


	10. Ten: The Founder's Ball

Hope scanned the crowd and landed on Laura, all alone, and she smiled fondly, appearing besides her in a blur, winking at her friend,

"Laaaaura." She greeted, drawing out her name. Wyatt glanced over across the garden before he stood up from the wall and moved over to brunette girl, whose name he thought he'd heard was Laura. He lifted his hand in a small wave. Laura Look beside her to see her long time friend Hope, one of the best people she'd ever met despite her parenthood, she stood up to steady her friend who upon using her speed had stumbled, "Hey sweetie how you doin?" she had had a few drinks tonight herself but apparently not as many as Hope had. Wyatt moved over to Hope and looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his body; his drink was in his other hand and he took a slow sip from it, licking his lips before pressing a light kiss to Hope's temple. Hope frowned at Laura, shaking her head seriously,

"Laura, honey, no, I'm sober." She stated, continuing to shake her head, "I just did a little too much magic." She explained, and then jumped, failing to sense Wyatt approaching her before he actually got there, and scowled at him, "You do that on purpose." She accused. Wyatt grinned a little in a manner that may have been slightly cocky, biting down on his bottom lip and quirking his eyebrows up at her, taking another sip from his drink, muttering with an amused note to his tone, "Don't know what you mean," and chuckling under his breath. Laura let go of Hope, "Alright whatever sweetheart, but if you're not getting drunk then i am" she picked up her drink and took a swig before Looking towards Wyatt, "How do you get her so mad so fast?" she smirked "for future reference"

Wyatt grinned a little and turned to look at Laura, turning on the charm a little. He licked his lips and shrugged a single shoulder, replying smoothly.

"You have to be handsome and stealthy," he told her with a vague note of amusement, a dimple appearing in his cheek as he quirked his eyebrows, "I think it's the jawline. She's jealous of it."

Hope narrowed her eyes further at Laura,

"You suck." She stated suddenly, childishly, and then pretended to give her friend a disdainful look, before winking at her to show she was joking. She listened to Wyatt, raising an eyebrow at him, unimpressed with him already, and he hadn't spoken yet, and she rolled her eyes at least three times when he did so,

"I will put your mind in the body of a worm." She threatened him, deadly serious. Laura smiled up at Wyatt the man basically towering over her "Who wouldnt be jealous of that jawline" she Smirked before looking towards Hope "You love me" after that she took another sip of her drink and smiling at the couple in front of her. Wyatt smirked and pressed a kiss to Hope's lips, cutting off the end of her sentence and talking against them, voice low with a faintly seductive note to it.

"Nah," he mumbled, "you'd miss my body too much if you did that," he taunted her, the arm around her shoulders dropping to wrap around her waist, fingertips skimming over her hip as he nipped her lip a little before kissing it better and pulling his head away. He turned to look at Laura again as she spoke and let out a single note of laughter, flashing Laura a grin. "I think you and I will get along alright," he told her. Laura smiled up at Wyatt again bitterly before saying "You guys are gross"

Wyatt arched an eyebrow, a laugh spilling out of him reflexively; he shook his head with a small shrug.

"Oh how the tables turn," he joked, "now you're the jealous one."

Hope scoffed at Wyatt but allowed him to kiss her and such, returning each gesture and motion, she kept up the game she'd started of winking at Laura inappropriately, exaggerating the gesture everytime she did it, doing it very regularly too, to keep Laura on her toes,

"I knew you were in love with me, Laura." She teased, shaking her head tragically, patting Wyatt's chest as if to console him. Laura laughed her bitter smile turning true "You're funny you know that" before turning to scan the dance floor one more time before saying "i need another drink ,if im gonna stand here and watch you two do that all night ill need it"

Wyatt scoffed a little and caught her hand in his where it lay on his chest, tilting his head down and nudging his nose against her temple softly. He pressed his lips to Hope's cheekbone and nodded a little as Laura went away to go and get a drink. He finished his drink before setting it down on the ground and slipping his other arm around Hope's waist, pulling her body close to his and resting their foreheads together, nudging their noses lightly.

"Dance with me," he murmured lowly, walking them backwards towards the dance floor. Hope gave him one of her infamous breezy smiles, and placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and the other in his hand accordingly, grateful to Rebekah for teaching her how to dance. She cleared her throat,

"Come on, Fred Astaire." She teased, pecking his nose, and flicked her hair out of her eyes, preparing herself to dance. Wyatt snorted a little at the reference and shook his head a little, pressing a small kiss to Hope's lips before suddenly spinning her away from him, twirling her then drawing her back into his arms, a small smile on his face as he looped his arm around her waist and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they swayed. Hope made a big deal out of showing him she was impressed, nodding and trying to do a mini clap, but found her hands were occupied,

"Wow." She drew out the word, snickering a little, leaning into him, a smile never leaving her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to a party and actually had fun. Wyatt chuckled and smirked a little, swaying them side to side while going through some well-practiced steps, not needing to think them over, these moves deeply routed into his mind by now. He pressed his lips to her ear, murmuring, "You haven't seen the half of it," knowing he had a lot of moves up his sleeve that he could blow her away with. Hope made an impressed humming noises, wriggling her eyebrows at him, winking flirtatiously,

"The boyfriend with the never ending talents." She stated proudly, a laugh punctuating what she was saying, "Wyatt De Sauveterre." She finished, saying it like it was the next upcoming film, she twirled and laughed and for some reason missed him when she wasn't in his hold. It made her loathe the twirls all of a sudden. Wyatt let out that familiar, all-knowing laugh that always slipped out whenever he'd read a particularly dorky thought of hers. He pulled her in again and lifted her up so she'd jump, catching her in his arms and swinging her past one side of his body, before swinging her round past his other side; he set her on her feet in front of him before tipping her back over his thigh and placing a hand between her shoulder blades as he dipped her to the floor, bending to rest their foreheads together.

"Impressive enough?" He questioned her, lips practically brushing hers. Hope swooned dramatically, putting a hand to her forehead and pretending it had nearly been enough to cause her to faint, she beamed up at him and clung onto his forearms, wondering how long he would hold her like this for. She supposed it would be until she answered him, her eyes moving quickly between his own,

"I didn't know it was possible to be more attracted to you." She confessed in a quiet, slightly awed voice, "And yet, here we are." She finished with a small grin, eyes roaming over his features, wanting to share with him as much as possible in the moment. Wyatt grinned a little and hummed softly, quirking his eyebrows up a little bit. He brought a hand up to lightly brush back a strand of her hair that'd falling into her face with his fingertips, tucking it behind her ear and lightly stroking the back of his fingers over her cheekbone.

"Well, one has to concede that such a comment certainly boosts their ego," he mused fondly, before pressing his lips to hers. He slowly straightened them up so they were standing properly again, kissing her soft and slow. Hope kissed him back for a bit, and then, curled her fingers delicately under his jaw, and broke the kiss off, with a small hum,

"I think the song ended." She commented as casually as she could, moving her fingertips along the underside of his jaw in repetitive patterns, her eyes shifting to watch their progress instead of him. Wyatt opened his eyes a little to look at her, quirking his eyebrows up a little. He glanced around them and discovered that she was indeed right, that the music had in fact stopped. He shrugged vaguely and returned to looking at her, a small smirk on his face.

"I hadn't even noticed," he whispered. "Guess my world just narrows down to you whenever I'm around you," he murmured, pressing his lips to her once again and kissing her some more, craving the feel of her lips against his own. Hope momentarily lost the ability to breathe, and had to simply nod at him, turning and ducking her head to try and hide her blush, but he had already captured her chin with his hand, and turned her face towards him, she puckered her lips instinctively, and kissed him back sweetly, trailing her fingers absentmindedly along his neck, eventually entangling it in his hair, tugging on it lightly, remembering when she had done so earlier, and smirked against his lips knowingly. Wyatt let out a small growl in the back of his throat, tugging her bottom lip in a playfully warning manner. He mumbled against her lips roughly, shaking his head a little, a sinful grin on his face, "Don't be a tease." He smoothed his palms along her sides and gripping her hips in the way he always did, pulling her tighter against him. "Especially in public."

Hope shot Wyatt her absolute best innocent smile, and gave him a look that communicated "oops?". She nodded silently to show she'd heard and understood him, pressing a light kiss to his cheek, hoping that was proper enough for him, giving him the most innocent of winks. She might aswell be called Hope Angel Mikaelson, and she knew they blonde hair helped. Hope however couldn't keep it up for long, and failed to prevent the devious grin,

"My apologies." She whispered in his ear, tugging on it lightly with her teeth and then abruptly twirling away, out of his hold. Wyatt gritted his teeth a little in his frustration, jaw clenching, its muscles flexing and fluttering as he exhaled heavily, fists balling at his sides. There was an irritated sort of smirk on his face as he glared at her, a glare that spoke of revenge in the near future.

"You're not getting away with that," he muttered below his breath, eyes fixed on her as he followed behind her, steps slow and deliberate as he trailed her. He clasped his hands behind his back, arching an eyebrow. Hope gave him a sardonic look, glancing him up and down,

"Babe, you look like a super villain." She commented, as if he hadn't just promised a possibly very public and humiliating exacting of revenge at any moment. She refused to let him see it affect her, and make her nervous, he already had access to her thoughts, he didn't need to see it demonstrated on her person aswell. She wandered out towards the garden, where everyone seemed to be, picking out Laura's voice among the others, concerned by the panic in her tone. Wyatt followed after her and finally began to pay attention to their surroundings, catching onto the sounds and scents of panic. He scowled a little as he caught onto the sounds of Klaus racing around, and Boone's voice along with the voices of strangers. He caught up to Hope and fell into step with her, placing his hand at the small of her back. Hope walked up to the group with an expression of alarmed confusion, her eyes wide and never staying fixed on one person for too long unless it was Wyatt,

"What's happening?" She asked, spotting Boone, Laura and Riley all walking off together. She was going to start off to go after them, but changed her mind, deciding she needed to know what on earth was happening, first. Hope looked expectantly at those around her.

"Talking about Klaus?" Wyatt questioned Annabelle, giving her a stern look as he stepped into the crowd, looking around at everyone. He didn't take too kindly to the smoker's tone. "What's going on here?" He asked with an air of authority.

"No I'm talking about the fucking tooth fairy." Annabelle answered sarcastically. Hope bristled beside Wyatt, turning her head sharply to stare stonily at Annabelle,

"Watch your tone." She warned the girl, her voice dangerously quiet, but still plenty loud enough for everyone to hear. Wyatt snapped his head towards Anna and stepped forward towards her. He glanced her up and down, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. He took the cigarette from her and eyed it, before looking her dead in the eyes, voice low.

"I'd tell you how smoking kills," he said, "but I'm sure I could do a quicker job of it," he hissed, the threat evident. Evonai looked to Wyatt and furrowed her eyebrows "I suggest you calm yourself and step away from my niece" she said taking Annabelle's arm. Wyatt rolled his eyes and glanced at the Bennett witch with a disinterested look.

"I suggest you both refrain from pissing me off," he said calmly, "because your magic won't work on me and I don't value the life of others' very much."

"Please. You really think I let myself be killed by smoking. Or by some vampire. It's ok Evonia, really." Annabelle turned to her aunt.

"Okay, please. Stop. Both. I mean, all of you." Kira stepped in, now seeming a little more confident. "It was my fault. I dragged them here, so they would help my friend."

Hope actually laughed, it may have sounded a little sadistic, and took a step forward to come face to face with Evonia, staring her down, she was going to say something, but turned her head towards Kira, nodding stiffly, and glancing back at the woman she was going to face off with in disdain, and took a step back to be by Wyatt's side again.

"Look, why'd you even come here?" Annabelle asked calmly. "We haven't done anything...wrong."

Hope scoffed, shaking her head disapprovingly,

"We came out to see what was going on, we asked you a question, and you were unnecessarily rude. Actions breed consequences." She stated coldly, her stare unfaltering. Wyatt glanced over at Kira, jaw fluttering, before he glanced back at the witches with distaste.

"I came to see what was going on and inquire about my brothers, hoping for answers," he said haughtily, referring to both Klaus and Boone, looking the witch up and down. He nodded in agreement with Hope. "What I got instead was two little bitch witches on my back, which I didn't appreciate." He turned to look at his girlfriend and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, sighing. "I think I'm going to find your father," he told her, pressing a kiss to her temple before disappearing on the hunt for him.

"Oh I apologise. To me it seemed that your fuckboy came up to me in a less than polite matter. And if you want to see what we did. Just look up." Annabelle pointed to the now moon-less sky. Hope snarled in rage and had Annabelle in a headlock in the next second, ready to snap her neck, she brought her mouth down to be near the girl's ear,

"I could kill you within the next two seconds, if somehow you manage to escape, I will set you on fire. Watch yourself, bitch." She hissed, wrenching on the girl a little to hurt her, her eyes no longer human. Riley walked up beside Hope and squinted at the girls infront of Hope, her eyes suddenly widened when she heard the term come out of one of the girls' mouth, "I surely hope you're not talking about Wyatt," Riley started, making her presence known, "Because he could kill you in a second if he ever heard you say that, and Hope would too, so shut your mouth if you know whats good for you."

Evonia looked around and rubbed her temples "what the fuck is wrong with you people" she said "always wanting to fight"

"Set me on fire and you'll never know what happened. And I don't think daddy dearest would appreciate that." Annabelle smirked. Hope laughed lightly, easily maintaining her hold on her captive, and addressed Evonia,

"What's wrong with _you_ people. Never learn any manners?" She snapped, her eyes dark and wide and fathomless, the dark veins appearing under her eyes. She jerked Annnabelle a little within her hold, only fracturing her neck, but proving she could snap it so very easily, "Did I not tell you to watch it?"

"Stop it." Kira spoke now, with her voice being serious towards the blonde haired girl. Riley softly rested a hand on Hope's shoulder, "Hope stop. They aren't worth it." Riley said darkly, glaring at the girl who called Wyatt a 'fuckboy'. She glanced codly at the other girls who stood beside her, trying to see if they would say anything. Annabelle fainted due to the pain. She was only human after all. Kira looked over at Anna, kneeling down near her, to check her pulse. She was alive. And that was a good thing. She let out a sigh of relief, looking up at Hope and Riley. Hope sighed lightly, and looked over at Kira, allowing her face to become human again,

"Kira. Words hurt, you know." She informed her, nodding in fake sincerity, and helped Annabelle to the floor, strolling away from her, crossing her arms over her chest, and turning to look into the woods, her back to them,

"Hmm. My guess is the damn moon." She said, to no-one in particular.

"I know. But there's no need to hurt more, you know?" Kira asked Hope. She was taking Anna's side, yes, but she wasn't the type to get into fights.

"But im sure Hope and Wyatt had a reason, but not her." Riley said, motioning towards the girl who was on the ground, "We just want to know what happened, i'm pretty sure you had some part in it." Riley told them, her eyes focused on the other two girls. Evonia kneeled by Annabelle and sighed "poor thing" she said sighing pushing hair from her face "we were helping Kira by getting rid of the moon then she came in and decided to choke people. If you want the moon I'll put it back. Its not really a big deal"

Hope sighed tiredly, glancing back at the mess she'd left,

"I was never going to kill her. Don't worry your little angelic heart." She called out to them, waving her hand dismissively, more focused on the forest, and listening for things, feeling things in the weather, the way the wind shifted. Riley scoffed, "I know Hope, she wouldn't choke someone for the hell of it." She started as she crossed her arms over her chest, "She was obviously provoked, so calm the hell down and stop putting the blame on the wrong person."

"She did it because she called someone a fuckboy" Evonia said "that's a shitty reason "

Hope raised an eyebrow, walking back over to them,

"I just incapacitated your little sidekick, and you're still running your mouth?" She asked, a little incredulous, rolling her eyes. She didn't care what they thought of her to be honest, it wasn't like she'd attacked them unprovoked. Hope just looked at Kira, trying to communicate that she got it. Evonia rolled her eyes, "please"

Hope smiled a little too pleasantly to be genuine, and crouched down to be level with Evonia,

"I could still burn you." She promised her, before returning to her standing position, stalking away to try and find Boone or Wyatt or _someone_ who wouldn't tempt her to murder them. As an after thought, she made a vague gesture with her hand behind her, sending Evonia flying, hitting the ground hard. She smiled a little to herself, pridefully,

"Any harm comes to Riley and you're dead." She called as she walked away.


	11. Eleven: I Love You

Hope sighed against the awkward silence as Klaus and Stiles kept up their intense stare off, averting her eyes down to her plate, pushing the food around on it, not really all that hungry. Her cravings were dictating to her that she wanted something else, and she glanced at Wyatt across the table from her. She moved her gaze from him to Klaus, and then to Stiles, and then, with a small quirk of her eyebrows, she carried on with struggling to eat her meal. Wyatt glanced over at Stiles and Klaus, observing their stare-off with narrowed eyes, his piercing gaze mostly focused on Stiles, before he shifted it away and down to his plate to stab a little viciously at a carrot on his plate. He licked his lips and sniffed irritably, before scooping up some potato and shoving the forkful into his mouth, chewing the food quickly and swallowing it down, barely being able to enjoy the taste of it. The presence of the Stiles kid irked him, as Wyatt still had yet to warm up to the rambling, fumbling human boy. He glanced up at Hope and noticed that she was struggling with her meal, arching his eyebrows in silent inquiry.

Dinner was nice for the most part, Stiles always enjoying the food Wyatt seemed to make for the household, though tonight it was hard to really eat anything when there was a hybrid across the table practically glaring a hole through his head. Stiles felt uninvited at the Mikaelson house for the most part, Hope being the only person there who genuinely accepted him - but Stiles thought that maybe it was because she had a soft spot for humans, unlike Klaus and Wyatt. Stiles slowly put down his fork, glancing up at Klaus from across the table and gritting his teeth, wondering what this guy's deal was with Stiles. Even Wyatt was throwing him off by being all uptight and looking at Stiles as if he was the one that needed to back down. It was taking everything he had not to start throwing words out at Klaus so soon.

Klaus sat at the head of the table, leaning back into the chair with one leg slumped over the over as he held the fork in his hand and with his head leaning off against the edge of it. His eyes stared at the fork that had the stringed beans on it, rolling his neck back while he threw down the fork so he wouldn't take the bite he had been dreading to eat. It felt like he had been eating this meal every time he had people over and it was bugging him a bit, so he would refuse to eat this one time,

"Well, now that we're all here , can someone actually say something?" He said loudly, his eyes moving between the three people before him that seemed uncomfortable with whatever was going on. Hope nodded along amicably, finally giving up on her meal and pushing it away, waving it off with her hand,

"I saw Elena Gilbert faceplant in front of the grill, today." She conversed casually, a pleasant sort of smile on her face as if she were merely discussing the weather. She blinked calmly at the reactions she got, and took a sip of pineapple juice, something that had been one of her main cravings.

Stiles snickered softly, biting onto his bottom lip to keep from breaking into a hysterical fit. Instead, he decided to just finish off his mashed potatoes, gaze steering away from Klaus and down to his own food. His plate was just about empty, Stiles always having an appetite when dinner came around, but he still didn't have anything to say at the table. He wondered where Boone was, mentally scolding his friend for leaving him all awkwardly with his friends, but Hope's presence eased his nerves just enough for Stiles to sit still and eat normally. It might even be a blessing if no fights happen tonight. Wyatt blinked, simply looking at Hope for a moment, before a small snort escaped him and he shook his head, pushing his plate forward a little before wiping his hands on a napkin and scooting his chair back. He stood up from his chair and moved his way around to Hope's side of the table, pulling her chair out with her still on it and taking her wrists and lifting her to her feet before taking one of her hands, interlacing their fingers together and leading her around into the kitchen.

"You're craving something different," he stated bluntly, flashing her a small smile. "Let's find something else for you."

Klaus groaned as the couple left the room and through the double doors into the kitchen, rolling his eyes as he was left with the human that caused actual annoyance whenever Klaus let his eyes look his way. To make himself seem uninterested he went back to pick up the fork, but decided that he would just point out the elephant in the room,

"Why are you here again?" he questioned as the fork hit the plate loudly, a clang echoing in the room as he pushed his plate forward so he had more room to cross his hands on the table. There it was. The tension seeped back into the room and Stiles put his fork down, his gaze snapping up to Klaus and watching how he portrayed himself like he really didn't care. It irked Stiles that Klaus could pull a calm composure, but every time he opened his mouth it dripped with annoyance. Stiles let out a noticeable sigh and narrowed his eyes at the hybrid.

"How many times have I told you now? Pretty sure this would be the third time. Why are you making me repeat myself?" Stiles asked, not answering his question. This conversation was bound to get interesting.

Hope gave Wyatt a little wink, wondering if he'd picked up on that naturally, or if he'd read her mind to find that out, and offered him a grateful smile, taking his hand gracefully,

"Such a good boyfriend." She sighed happily, patting the lower part of her baby bump, trailing along behind Wyatt to the kitchen, and shooting both Stiles and Klaus an apologetic look over her shoulder as she did so.

Wyatt chuckled a little and arched his eyebrows at Hope. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple before opening the fridge, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Both," he told her with a small smirk, amused by the way she rolled her eyes in response to him reading her mind - as per usual. His eyes skimmed past her, gaze falling upon the hybrid and the human in the attached dining area; he squinted a little before looking into the fridge instead, shaking his head with a small sigh. "So," he began, glancing over at Hope once again, "what do you fancy?"

Hope hummed lightly in contemplation and peered around him to scan the contents of the fridge, wriggling her nose a little as the scents all attacked her at once,

"Pineapples." She said, but then squinted a little at the other foods on offer and added, "And cucumber? Maybe some kiwi, strawberries- You know what? Fruit salad, please, babe." She realised she was effectively describing a fruit salad, and shrugged, with a 'what can you do?' kind of look, glancing down at her bump.

Klaus let his eyebrows raise, along with letting his eyes widen and a light in his eyes, the whole situation to him was funny, and the fact that Stiles thought that he actually cared about anything he was saying to him was amusing.

"We're in a different setting this time, and Boone isn't here right now, so you really serve no purpose," he admitted leaning back into his chair against, uncrossing his hands, but letting one remain on his lap, the other in a shooing motion, "Dismissed."

Stiles opened his mouth to say something but then immediately shut it, head tilting softly to the side and his brows crinkling.

"What? Dismissed? No. This is not how it's going to be. You can't just 'dismiss' me, okay? I don't know what kind of a deal you have with me or what line I apparently crossed, but it needs to get sorted," said Stiles, using two of his fingers as air quotations with the word dismissed. He wasn't going to be pushed around and told what to do just like he was back in Beacon Hills. Stiles was going to break through some wall that Wyatt and Klaus had up and was going to be acquaintanced with them. Boone would want that.

Wyatt's nose wrinkled at the combination of cucumber, of all things, with a mix of tropical and traditional fruits. He squinted a little, but merely shook his head and took the relevant ingredients from the vegetable drawer of the fridge and the fruit bowl that was perched proudly in the centre of the main counter/breakfast bar. He took a chopping board from under the sink and set it on the side, taking a sharp knife and beginning to dice everything up into more or less evenly sliced cubes. Once it was all cut up, he scraped it from the board and into a bowl, where he sprinkled a little citrus juice onto it for taste and passed it over to her with a charmingly playful smile. Klaus stood up from his chair and within a second he had Stiles pinned to the wall by his throat, not squeezing it or anything, but showing his dominance in the situation, not wanting to hear Stiles say anything else, all he wanted was a nice evening and it seemed like he couldn't get that,

"Stop talking," he spoke slowly, his eyes flashing to the kitchen door to make sure no one was coming out, even though he probably wouldn't stop then, but Hope would make him stop. "Your words mean nothing to me and the only reason that you are still alive is because Boone and Hope somehow find interest in you. I love them both more than anything, more than my new found hatred for you. Now, I'm going to let go, and you will remain as silent as you are now," he growled with a quick let go of his throat.

Klaus snagging Stiles had caught him by surprise, Stiles attempting to grab at his fork to defend himself with, but was too slow for Klaus. Stiles grit his teeth and grabbed at Klaus' wrist, digging his nails into it as he glared into the hybrid's eyes, not saying a word. His heart never ceased in his ears, Stiles curling his toes inside his shoes to keep from kicking at him and causing a scene. He knew that Klaus could slash his throat in seconds or something even worse, but now was not the night for that sort of ordeal. What bothered him was that this was the second time that he had been shoved against the wall by the throat that week. As Klaus let Stiles go, he brought his hand up and rubbed his neck softly, not enjoying the other man's rough callouses chafing against his throat. But Stiles did stay quiet, shooting Klaus glares the whole time.

Hope had been about to accept the bowl of fruit, when activity in her other room caught her attention and she snarled, spun on her heel, dropped the bowl, and used the energy she had been saving that day to blur into the other room, using her powers to push Klaus away from Stiles, not enough to throw him against anything, or even knock him over, just enough to get him away. She positioned herself defensively infront of Stiles and gave Klaus the most unimpressed expression of all time,

"Leave the poor kid alone." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, resting on top of her bump, shaking her head at her father in a forbidding manner. Wyatt sighed heavily, catching the bowl before the fruit fell out of it or the ceramic could smash onto the floor. He stood up straight again and placed the bowl on the side, scooting it back away from the edge and rushing in to step in front of Hope, making sure to grab Stiles and shove him to the side so he was away from her too. Instead, Wyatt positioned the human boy next to him, glanced over his shoulder at Hope, then looked to Nik.

"That's enough," he snapped, tone commanding and stern. "I won't have you fighting around my pregnant girlfriend. If she gets hurt, I'll see to it that you both suffer severely. And don't think I don't mean it," he said darkly, glaring between the two culprits of this whole situation.

Stiles huffed through his nose heavily, his gaze shifting from Wyatt to Klaus and then to Hope. His eyes actually softened when they landed on Hope, Stiles not seeming to have an ounce of hatred for Hope since he had arrived. Stiles looked at Wyatt while he was talking, mouth dropping open at his words as they were also directed towards him.

"What!? Klaus attacked me! I haven't done one thing wrong since I've been here! Does it look like I have any strength in me to take on any of you!?" Stiles blurted out, hands clenching at his sides, his nails digging into the palms of his hands to keep from lashing out. This was a vacation? This is what Boone thought was a good place to bring him? Stiles would rather go back to Beacon Hills and go up against Deucalion any day than have to sit in a house where two hybrids hated him and couldn't stand his presence. Klaus turned around and listened to Wyatt's words but they hadn't registered yet from the anger he was getting from Stiles and flashed past Wyatt and Hope making sure that he hadn't hurt nor knocked over anyone, especially Hope, but stood in front of Stiles, keeping Stiles' body between his own and the wall, snarling as he looked over at Wyatt and let out a snarl as he turned his attention to Wyatt,

"You chose him over me? A pesky human to your brother? I have stood here by you for a century and you act as if you've known him forever," he said, and although his attention of words were voiced to Wyatt, he kept his eyes on Stiles. Stiles winced only slightly, keeping his ground and staring at Klaus in the eyes, wondering what else he was going to do to make the kid's night even more miserable. With his heavy breaths being the only thing he let out, Stiles shifted his gaze from Klaus to Wyatt, already regretting it as even his piercing gaze bore a hole through Stiles. Briefly Stiles closed his eyes, swallowing down another outburst and deciding on leaving the house. That way he wouldn't have to deal with the two guys' bullshit and scrutinizing Stiles on everything he did. Wyatt gave Niklaus a wide-eyed, near gobsmacked look, before his expression hardened considerably, eyes becoming black with a rush of indignation and anger.

"No, no I am not choosing a pesky human over my brother!" He snapped, getting up in Niklaus' face, fangs dropping slightly as he snarled. "I am choosing my girlfriend and our child! I'm drawing the line here, Niklaus, of which you cannot cross. Save your little outbursts for times when Hope isn't around, because you know damn well your daughter is a compassionate soul and she'd sooner put herself in harm's way before letting people she cares about get hurt, and I don't like that! I especially don't like that when she's carrying my children! So you need to pull yourself together right the fuck now and stop fighting with Stiles before one of you ends up seriously harming the love of my life, because I won't stand for it!" By the time he'd finished, Wyatt's voice was an enraged snarl and his chest was heaving with laboured, furious breaths. His fists were clenched tight at his sides, as he just barely restrained himself from throwing Klaus into the wall behind him.

Hope blinked furiously, looking back and forth between the two most important men in her life, and took a step closer to Stiles, letting her hand hang near his, linking one of her fingers with his, for support. She gave him a reassuring smile without looking at him, and began to worry her lower lip between her teeth. She winced and groaned ever so lightly, making sure it was background noise, as the babies started to move about and kick almost violently, perturbed by the fighting and the sound of their father angry. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, using her powers to remedy the situation somewhat, and then tuned back in to what was being said. Wyatt had just finished his miniature speech, and Hope drew her eyes from him over to Klaus, worriedly. Klaus let his straight face turn into one of a sarcastic smirk as he let his eyes move down to Wyatt's clenched fist, the veins popping out in Wyatt's neck, indicating that Wyatt was beyond pissed and he would not be taking bullshit from anyone. He gave one last look at Stiles, and look that showed that he was far from being finished with him before he turned around and walked up to Wyatt, getting way to close for anyone's personal comfort level,

"Hit me," was all he said. It was a challenge in the way it rang off of his voice, "Come on," he almost screamed in Wyatt's face, "Big bad Wyatt," he laughed out in a sadistic manner, not able to control how angry he was, pointing it all at Wyatt as if it was his fault that Klaus had this suppressed anger inside of him and it was finally breaking free. "Say Rippaah," he said in a laugh that could only be described as one like the Joker, "You don't have the right to tell me anything at this point. This situation has nothing to do with you. You two were in the kitchen and we were out here, no one told you to interfere," he yelled the last couple of words with his eyes almost shifting to their hybrid yellow at how angry he was, his body completely shaking as he looked back down at Wyatt's fist, seeing his own fist shake as hard as Klaus was, "Now, do it. Hit me. Show me how much of a man you are."

Fear climbed into Stiles steadily, the boy backing away from the two hybrids, hand slipping out of Hope's grasp as his eyes widened from the two of them. Now this was something he's never seen before. Hell, Stiles has seen supernatural creatures get pissed, but he's never seen hybrids get pissed. His gaze moved to Hope, Stiles taking her hand and gently pulling her away from Klaus and Wyatt and into a more open space than in between Klaus and the wall. He didn't exactly appreciate the look Klaus gave him before confronting Wyatt. "I think it's best if we move away..." He muttered, concern and fear both in his eyes. Wyatt was shaking violently with his anger. He didn't hear Stiles' words, didn't listen, couldn't possibly hear him past the blood rushing through his ears. Without even realising that he was moving, Wyatt's fist drew back, and then he threw a punch so hard it knocked the hybrid off of his feet and sent him crashing into the wall. Even still, Wyatt was shaking. He marched up to the hybrid, entire body racking with suppressed anger.

"You know what Nik? This is what you do! You get angry, and then you lash out at the people who don't deserve it! I didn't step in because I gave a shit about what you were gonna do with the boy, I stepped in because your DAUGHTER, your PREGNANT DAUGHTER WAS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT WAS SOON, SURELY, TO BECOME A WAR ZONE! I WAS PROTECTING HER, LIKE YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN! BUT AS USUAL, NIKLAUS MIKAELSON, SELF-ACCLAIMED FAMILY MAN, PURSUES HIS ANGER RATHER THAN THINKING THAT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, HE'S NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE ROOM!" Wyatt screamed. By now, he was bright red in the face; it was the most human he'd looked in a while, usually perpetually pale skin turned a burning hue of crimson with all the anger he was keeping bottled up inside of him. He knew, if he let it go, the ripper would surface. God, he was so close. Just pricking beneath his skin. Waiting to come out and shed blood. Wyatt's entire body was quaking. "You wanna see how much of a man I am, Niklaus?" Wyatt questioned finally, voice deathly low and full of venom as he took a deep breath, eyes averting to Hope before he looked back at the bleeding hybrid glaring up at him. "Watch me walk away from this right now, and escort my lover to safety - like a real man should. Watch me prioritise the girl I love over my rage." Seething, Wyatt stared Klaus down for a moment longer, before he turned to Hope and put his hand out in offering for her to take.

Hope had been all but cowering in the corner with Stiles, terrified not for herself but for the relationship between her boyfriend and her father, that sacred bond they shared falling apart would ruin the both of them. The one thing Wyatt did not need was the loss of another brother. She watched Wyatt with a timid, quiet kind of awe as he spoke, and swallowed past the ever growing lump in her throat, cradling her bump, glancing occasionally to Klaus, wincing as the words stung him. She didn't even hesitate upon taking Wyatt's hand, and though she didn't smile at him, the way she looked at him was enough. She didn't worry about Stiles, as she knew there was no way Klaus would attack him now.

At that moment, Stiles stood there struck with fear, his heart slamming against his chest as he watched Wyatt blow up in front of him. Stiles' anxiety had shot through the roof, the boy licking at his bottom lips and tugging on the edge of his shirt as a distraction to not run out of the room immediately. He flinched when Klaus was punched, Stiles never seeing such force in his life, the boy covering his eyes in case of any debris flying across the room. Slowly it died down, Stiles regretting saying anything to Klaus in the first place. Regretting even coming with Boone to Mystic Falls. He wasn't wanted here by a known fact. Maybe after everything had quieted down he would head out without a word as to not cause another scene.

Klaus laid against the wall for almost a second, his jaw not in it's right place as he grabbed it and cracked it, he was too much of a mood to care. Although, that was the wrong way to phrase it, he cared too much. It was a complete shock for Wyatt to blow up at him the way he did, but he needed it, they both needed it, to finally get their anger out towards each other. He grabbed at Wyatt's shoulder, pulling him away from Hope without harming her, except it may have tugged her back a bit. He used his hybrid speed to pin Wyatt against the floor, drawing his arm back to punch Wyatt in the face and that's all he could remember. Everything was black, but noises were vague in the background. He could hear Stiles restraining Hope, Hope lost in a state of not knowing what to do, Wyatt's gurgles. The only thing that was dominant in his state of blacked out anger was Wyatt struggling against Klaus, but Klaus wouldn't budge. He remained in his position on top of Wyatt, punching him multiple times, and despite Wyatt's best efforts of trying to punch and fight Klaus off weren't working. Klaus was cement on top of Wyatt.

Hope eventually couldn't take it any longer, and she let out some kind of strangled cry, and pushed at the air with both of her hands, sending Klaus flying back with such force that he went right through the nearest window, his jacket set on fire as an unexpected side effect of the amount of power she'd just used, and once Hope had made sure that Wyatt was healing, she stalked out after her father with a low snarl, stepping out through the broken window, her eyes flashing and her face a storm,

"That is it." She thundered, gesturing as she did so, kicking some debris out of the way as she made her way over to her father, extinguishing the fire. She splayed her hands and moved her palm up, and as she did so, Klaus lifted off the ground and was held dangling in the air, staring down at her in something close to fear,

"Enough." She repeated, eyes practically aflame with the fury inside them, and a small trail of blood trickled down from her nostril, staining her upper lip, "Touch him again and I swear..." She began to threaten him, but she was shaking so much she couldn't finish, and just let the threat linger.

Wyatt coughed and spluttered. He was strong, but not strong enough to fight off the original hybrid in full rage mode. He wasn't sure that he wouldn't die, this time. Wyatt was close to giving in, because he was sure that, this time, he wasn't going to make it. He gasped as Klaus was suddenly ripped away from him and sent flying through the window, choking a little, his breaths gargling with all the blood gushing through him at that moment. Staggering to his feet, Wyatt tumbled outside to them. He latched onto Hope and pulled her back a little, distracting her enough for the spell to break; he reached out feebly and wiped the trail of blood beneath her nose, staining her top lip, away with his thumb, before turning to Klaus. He couldn't stand in that moment, ending in falling to his knees as the hybrid in front of him pushed up onto his elbows and stared Wyatt down. Wyatt looked back at him, a cocktail of rage and devastation, the upset churning with the anger, to the point where he simply couldn't do more than just look at Klaus in that moment. Eventually, he shook his head.

"So what," he began, voice strained, "you gave me all those memories back of a childhood half forgotten, let me see all the ways in which you took care of me, and let me see how you broke me into pieces and nearly killed me... just to do it again, now? History repeating itself?" Wyatt coughed a little as his lung tried to repair itself, a pained groan escaping him as he clutched his chest. He had to coil for a moment, before he looked up and met Niklaus' eyes once again. "You took me in again, this time as a brother rather than a son... and now, once again, you've found yourself in the wrong, so you make up for it... BY NEARLY KILLING ME?!" Wyatt screamed the last bit, but it wavered off into a small sputter. With a steadying breath, Wyatt licked his lips and said his final piece. "When I was a kid I'd hide in the corner of my room behind the bookshelf because it was the only space dark enough that my father might miss me when he sought me out during the night for a beating, and I imagine you did much the same when you were a child. Tell me, Niklaus, does breaking nearly all the bones in my body give you delight? The way it gave my father such when he did it to me? Did you spend your entire life running from your own father just to become him?" Wyatt asked him. He hadn't said the words in spite, and that much was clear. There was a sincerely broken look in his eyes that proved it so. He was genuinely anxious to understand how the man he, for some reason, trusted implicitly with his life, was always the one to bring it so close to its end, always the one to threaten it so severely that he remembered what true fear felt like. Wyatt couldn't understand how Niklaus could do that to him. Again. Or maybe he couldn't understand how he himself was foolish enough to let Niklaus back in, when it always seemed to end poorly for Wyatt himself and never the other way around.


	12. Twelve: Proposal

Wyatt pulled up outside a small, wooden-constructed diner at the roadside. It'd gotten some good reviews online and since he'd brought Hope on a little across-state holiday with him, he'd decided he'd take her out for dinner on some afternoons and evenings and cook for her on others. This particular afternoon, he'd decided on here.

Wyatt got out of the car and rounded it to Hope's side, opening the door for her and helping the heavily pregnant tribrid out of the car - now seven and a half months along, she was pretty huge, and even though she had supernatural strength and endurance, it was still a toll on her due to it being constant.

He smiled down at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, running his hand lightly over the swell of her stomach as he so often did. It was a bit of a habitual thing by now; at this point, he was growing more and more impatient and anxious to have the babies there with them, hands constantly reaching out to feel them kick, ears alert for their heartbeats. Hope's grip on his hand was tight and a little desperate, and she made sure to grab the frame of the car as she was helped out of it, the moment she was out, her hand flew to her stomach, smiling a little tiredly up at Wyatt as he kissed her cheek, and thanked him in a murmur. He had that look on his face again, the one that she recognised by now. It was quietly agonising, and more than slightly impatient. She made a small sound of amusement and let go of his hand to stroke his cheek,

"2 months," she reminded him, and wished she could actually lean up to kiss his cheek, but alas, this was something she hadn't been able to do for a while, and it frustrated her to no end. Wyatt nodded his head a little with a long suffering sigh in silent compliance, shutting the car door behind her and pressing the little button on his car keys that would lock all of the car doors in sync. He chuckled a little, a small snorting sound, as he looked down at Hope with a small smirk, amused by the play out of her thoughts. With a little hum, he leaned down for her and tilted his head to the side a little, turning to present her with his cheek for her to kiss. Hope grinned and pressed an affectionate kiss to his cheek, cupping the other cheek with her hand, and then leaned back, now satisfied. She huffed and put a hand to her spine to rub where it was sore, and then immediately gave up as it was everywhere, and her powers weren't enough to sort the problem out. Hope looked back up to Wyatt and had to squint against the brightness, she motioned towards to diner,

"Shall we?"

Wyatt glanced around at her back with a small, displeased hum. He frowned a little, brow drawn down into a deep furrow of concern, but he was brought out of it by Hope's words. He flashed her a small smile and nodded, head tipping down then rolling to the side a little before he lifted it again so that he was looking towards the diner, body twisting with the motion, and he took Hope's hand in his, leading her inside.

Once in, he guided her through tables and booths to the table in the corner next to a large window that let the afternoon sunlight stream through and cast its orangey light over the place. Wyatt pulled a seat out for her, then tucked it in under the table somewhat as she sat down, moving around the table to take a seat across from her. He pulled the menus out of the holder and handed one to her. Hope smiled continuously as they entered the place. She was in a good mood, for some reason, and she figured it must just be the aura of the place, it was homey and friendly, and the afternoon was warm and yet cool at the same time, making the temperature perfectly agreeable, especially for someone pregnant with twins, as Hope was. She made a small happy humming noise as the scents from the kitchen wafted through, one of the staff had opened the door, and as Hope was now eating for three people, she was starving. She accepted the menu graciously and skipped immediately over to the pancakes section, her cravings guiding her. Hope didn't even have to look up at Wyatt to know he was amused by her predictability, and ignored him, smiling lightly down at her menu, and deciding on just a simple order of pancakes, the condiments for anything else she'd need were certain to come with the food. Wyatt shook his head lightly with a small chuckle, endlessly amused by the beautiful woman sat directly in front of him. Sometimes he had to stop and wonder how it was possible that she could have ever chosen him, but that path led to many anxieties and paranoid theories, and so he simply left the question alone, not willing to linger on it and cause himself upset with his pondering, as it would undoubtedly ruin their perfectly good afternoon. He licked his lips with a small huff, sighing through his nose as he looked down at the menu and scanned through it. With an affirmative sort of noise as he confirmed his choice in lunch, he requested an order of pasta carbonara with a side of dressed salad. Hope raised an eyebrow at him as he ordered and smiled politely at the waitress before she left to give their orders to the kitchen. She sighed contentedly and allowed her eyes to roam over the place before they landed on the salt shaker on the table, and her whole expression lit up in delight, she scooped it up and took the time to balance it on the top of her stomach, laughing quietly to herself in silent delight, she glanced up at Wyatt and gestured towards her accomplishment pridefully. The shaker was now just resting there comfortably, with perfect balance. Hope gave an amused huff and then returned the shaker to the table, smoothing her top down over her stomach, getting rid of any creases,

"I can do that with bowls, too." She informed him happily. Wyatt turned to look at Hope as she amused herself with no lack of delight by balancing a salt shaker on top of the baby bump. He arched an eyebrow at her, giving her an odd look that communicated that he thought she was a little strange; but he was amused by her antics anyway, even if she was being slightly weird. He shook his head with a small snort, letting a little chuckle escape him. She was so... quirky and unique. He loved it about her. Hope gave him a look, that communicated "don't judge me" and carried on with occupying herself whilst waiting. She tried to avoid looking at Wyatt because she felt like she did it way too much, and instead admired the way the sunlight hit the wall and then her gaze automatically brought her down to Wyatt again, the sunlight on his hair. She huffed and dragged her gaze away again, glad for the food finally arriving, and she picked her knife and fork up delicately, starting on her food. Wyatt couldn't help the smirk on his face at the way Hope persistently tried and consistently failed to stop looking at him and admired him. It was a great sort of feeling, to be desired and appreciated so much that the one he loved simply couldn't keep her eyes off of him. He reached his hand across the table to brush her hair back from her face with a small smile, admiring her, before he leaned across and pressed a kiss to her cheek just as the food arrived. Sitting back again, he picked up his fork and began to scoop into the bowl of pasta with an appreciative noise. Hope huffed through a smile, rolling her eyes a little but offering her cheek to him compliantly, knowing he had seen right through her, as he always did. She made a noise that matched his own as her intense cravings for pancakes were met and satisfied, she couldn't remember anything feeling as good as a pregnancy cravings being satisfied, but then she did remember exactly what something felt better, and she blushed and looked down very pointedly at her food, concentrating on it and eating in silence. Wyatt arched an eyebrow a little at Hope, eyeing the pink blush that'd dusted her cheeks faintly, the pattern of her thoughts being of great intrigue to him. He smirked a little and shook his head, glancing back down at his plate as he scooped a forkful of pasta into his mouth, accompanied by salad, and swallowed it down with a swig of his water - the waitress had set them with a jug and two glasses, pouring one for each of them. Hope had finished her pancakes by now, her appetite having been that of the three she was feeding. She always ate like this these days. She looked up to watch Wyatt, waiting patiently for him to finish his meal, and at the same time, tried again to stop looking at him, but it was very hard when the light was hitting him in such a way. Hope smiled a little despite herself and allowed herself to just watch him as she desired to. She really did love him. Wyatt glanced up at Hope and then looked at her empty plate, before letting out a small huff of laughter. He shook his head with a small, fond smile, before he sat up a little straighter and set his cutlery down, food half finished. He waved over the waitress and flashed her a charming smile, before handing Hope the menu again and encouraging her to order something else. After all, a woman so heavily pregnant could not be judged for her appetite. Hope grinned at him, appreciating how well he knew her, and how well he was taking care of her. She frowned a little in concentration and chewed lightly on her lower lip as she scanned the menu, before her cravings kicked in and she ordered a ham and cheese toastie, giving the waitress a kind smile, asking for some pineapple juice, too, as the next craving occurred to her. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring out the window for a moment before her attention returned to Wyatt, and she motioned for him to continue eating,

"Don't wait for me, love." She prompted him.

Wyatt shook his head a little with a small hum, flashing her a quick grin before digging back into his meal. He scooped pasta onto his fork again, stabbing at a piece of tomato and a slice of pepper as he went, and chewed leisurely on it as he stared out of the window. They were in a really beautiful part of the country, where rolling hills, flowered fields and local, elegant beaches were to be seen all around. The roads were smooth and winding, the kind you'd see on in a romance movie where everything is beautified, and over the horizon, when the sun began to set, bands of pink and orange could be seen stretching across the sky for miles and miles, gradually consuming its blueness and lingering for a long while before darkening into a deep, velvet indigo of night, scattered with billions of sparkling stars. Wyatt made a satisfied sort of humming noise, pleased by his chosen location. It sure was a blessing upon the eyes.

As he looked across the table at Hope, her face shadowed and highlighted in the most breathtaking ways by the sun, golden hair practically shining with her radiance, smooth cheeks rosy and glowing, Wyatt decided that even though the surrounding area and its clear skies were astonishing, she was simply far more incredible. The ring in his pocket suddenly felt like a branding weight against the top of his thigh, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to hold off any longer. When would there be a perfect time, exactly? It seemed like nothing, no matter how well-planned or awe-inspiring, would ever set a good enough scene for him to propose to her. And in the end, did that really matter? No, Wyatt decided. It didn't. With a shaky breath, Wyatt pushed out his chair from under the table and stood up, making his way around it to her and getting down onto one knee. There was an entire diner full of people around to watch them, but he simply didn't care.

Hope, fortunately hadn't been eating anything at that point, as her food hadn't yet arrived, but if it had, and she had been, she was sure she would have choked on it, which would definitely ruin the moment. She gripped the table, and her eyes widened immeasurably, she blinked down at him in disbelief. No. There was no way Wyatt was actually- But he was, surely. He was down on one knee, and he was reaching for something in his pocket. She swallowed past the blessed lump in her throat and tried to stifle the butterflies, and actually managed to do a good job of it, but couldn't do anything about her pounding, racing heartbeat. Hope seemed to have forgotten to breathe in her absolute shock, and suddenly her brain registered with her that she probably should, and so she breathed, and allowed it to steady her. Once she got a hold of what was going on, and actually got past the shock, Hope found herself smiling, in a way that displayed itself on her entire face, in every one of her features, and caused her eyes to light up in the best possible way. She couldn't believe this was happening, at all, let alone in a random diner, with a substantial crowd of people there to see it.

Wyatt took a steadying breath, letting out a nervous-sounding, sort of half chuckle. He could feel his heart flutter a little inside of his chest, and for a moment he almost felt human again. The moment was short-lived and quick to pass him by, but it was a moment all the same.

"When I met you, I had no idea you'd become this important to me. I didn't think that anyone ever would, or that anyone ever could. I didn't care for love, romance, any of that stuff. My life was lonely, a constant void lined with ghosts from my past and nothing more. I might have had one or two... allies, so to speak, in various places, but nothing more. My life had no meaning until I got to know you. On the night that we met, roughly a year or so ago, you mistook me for my nephew in the Mystic Grill back home - though you soon realised that I wasn't him, even though we look a lot alike. You got curious about me and tried to analyse me from the other end of the bar, and I caught you looking. You tried to slip away, and when I approached you, you ran off. Like a crazy stalker..." Wyatt laughed a little, shaking his head and grinning up at her, a fond amusement in his eyes. The people in the diner were highly interested, hanging onto his every word with almost the same intensity that Hope was. "I followed you. Chased you, actually. It probably looked dubious, and I'm pretty sure I even scared you a little as we engaged in what was perhaps a fairly snarky conversation, until I asked you to dinner. Right there and then, even though it was 10 O'clock at night, as you pointed out to me; but I guess that you and I don't care much for the conventions of time, because you accepted. After, I took you out to a cliff point in the woods and we watched the city's lights below glow against the night sky; you let me tell you, despite only knowing each other for two hours, about my brother's death, and how our parents tried to kill us, how we ran. I guess there was an instant connection, some form of trust, even if I hadn't realised I was even genuine in intentions at that point. You held my hand. You listened to me. Then I kissed you for the first time on the sofa in your living room, and when we'd shared stories and ate dessert with plenty to drink, I left, and you allowed me to see you again. From there, the rest of my life - a well-lived, semi-functional one - would begin. You reunited me with your father, the best friend that I'd been searching after for years after losing contact with him. You've showed me what it's like to have someone that genuinely loves and cares for me, someone who has no intention of betraying me, or torturing me, or using me as a pawn in their own selfish game. You've given me reason. I've never had reason before. You're my universe - everything in my life narrows down to one central point: you. In a dark, soulless, monster of a man, you somehow found and took a hold of his heart and preserved what was left of it, nurtured it, so that in return he could give everything that he has left into this relationship. You're the only person I can manage loving, and you're the only person I want to love."

Wyatt's hands shook a little bit as he produced an 18k white gold, Ceylon blue sapphire, diamond engagement ring and held it up towards her. He hadn't even questioned its excessive price; it'd caught his eye immediately, and it was beautiful. He was fairly certain - though not entirely, which was part of the reason he was so nervous - that she'd be enraptured by it.

"Honestly, if someone had told me then that I'd end up becoming serious about you, that you'd bear my children, twins, and that one day I'd ask to marry you... I would have run. I would have packed up and disappeared from town. Even now, this whole thing? It makes me uneasy, uncomfortable. I'm not good with emotional things, relationships, any of that. But being with you makes it worth it, and I can say with the utmost sincerity that, now, I can't see my life being lived without you. Forever is a long time, and I want that with you. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. So, Hope Analise Mikaelson, mother of my children - our children - and the only love of my life, will you do me the greatest honour of accepting this ring and giving me your hand in marriage?"

Hope hung desperately onto his every word, lips parted and eyes remaining wide. She searched the depths of his eyes for the questions she had already begun to produce in her mind, subconsciously, but then his speech started narrowing down, and everything inside of her sped up, seemingly kicked into motion, and he was going to propose. Wyatt was going to propose. Hope eyed the small box in his hand in a fashion that suggested she didn't quite believe it was really there. She coughed ever so lightly, clearing her throat without interrupting him, and one of her hands found his, the ends of their fingers tangling together ever so lightly, the one hand that wasn't occupied by the box. Hope licked her lips, and she sensed the speech was about to come to a close, and she started to panic. What does she say when he asks her? She wondered numbly, knowing the definite part would be that she would be saying yes, but she never had decided how exactly she would. But at that point, he was about to ask, and then once he had, time seemed to stop, and she hit this sudden, amazing state of complete serenity, in which she smiled with all the joy she had in her heart, and gave her answer quietly,

"Yes."

Wyatt let out a huge sigh of relief at the quietly delighted utterance of "Yes" and took her left hand in his tenderly, slipping the ring onto her finger and brushing his thumb over the back of her knuckles. The crowd of spectators within the diner - of which including the chefs and waitstaff, too - clapped and cheered for them as Wyatt stood up and threw his arms around Hope, burying his face into her neck and breathing in her scent as he warmly embraced her with a tight grip. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face, and even though he wasn't one for public displays of affection (ironically enough), he couldn't bring himself to let go of her just yet. He simply held her close, before tilting his head back to press a sweet, fervent kiss to her lips. Hope's hormones and emotions started to wage war with each other, and she was inbetween being so happy she couldn't breathe, and being so happy that she couldn't stop herself from crying, and so her mind tried to decide which to do first, and as it was her preferred choice between the two, she began to cry little happy tears, but then, getting better at controlling said emotions, Hope stopped the flow, and wiped away her tears just before Wyatt pulled her against him. She clutched to him and did her best to bring their bodies as close together as possible, despite the hugely swollen stomach between them, and craned her neck so he could fit his face comfortably into the space he usually occupied on her neck. Hope could feel her cheeks start to ache a little from smiling so much, and she was even laughing a little in joy. When he finally came around to kissing her, she slipped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in the hair on his neck in that oh so familiar way, kissing him back with everything she had in her, no matter how drained the pregnancy had made her, she kissed him with the passion and energy of a thousand tribrids.


	13. Thirteen: Alternate Proposal

Hope was leaning against a tree, cradling her stomach, head resting against the trunk, her breathing had finally calmed down, but she was still mad, perhaps irrationally so, but still mad, anything could spark her off. Klaus stalked over to Hope and just wrapped one arm around her with hesitation, not wanting to hold her if she didn't want to be held, but went for the full on hug regardless, stroking her hair with his left hand and then used his right hand to wipe her tears away, her eyes that seemed to be a mixed color of his and Hayley's, glossy from the tears.

Wyatt observed the two of them from a small distance. He was somewhere between grateful and grumpy towards Hope, not sure how he really felt at that moment. And he wasn't even sure why she was moody. It was probably the pregnancy thing. As usual. Wyatt sighed and tucked his hands into his pockets, licking his lips and rocking back and forth on his heels ever so slightly, just waiting for any cue to join their... interaction, somehow. Hope stiffened upon sensing Wyatt and Klaus, and turned to assess their positioning, eyes fixing immediately on their joined hands, and she rolled her eyes in a highly exasperated fashion, as she knew she would never get thanked for what she'd just done for them, and was likely to get flack for it instead, she gave them a withering look, and turned away again, sharply, as if dismissing them. Hope then threw her arms up in exasperation, pushing Klaus away, and staggering a little away from him, clearly distressed. She was having a full on fit now, crying and running her hands through her hair,

"How is this fair?!" She cried, throwing her hands up again, looking up to the sky, "Now you two are completely fine, and I'm upset! Where is my goddamn gratitude?! Why-" She was getting slightly hysterical now, and then cried out in pain, clutching at her stomach and doubling over a little, sobbing at that now, too, everything seemed to be going wrong, once it had passed, she stood up and twirled to face Wyatt, pointing an accusing finger at him, "And you threw cheese at me!"

Wyatt threw his hands up in wide-eyed surrender. To say he'd been surprised would have been... only a half truth, since he'd sort of been expecting something like this to happen what with Hope's constant raging hormones and pregnancy mood swings. God, if he'd thought a human pregnancy was drastic, well. Nothing, he imagined, could ever be quite like being pregnant with twin tribrids.

"You locked me in a damn cellar with him! AND! You threw the cheese at my head first, along with a ball!" He argued indignantly, determined not to be swayed into submission just because she was pregnant. Hope gave the most dramatic huff of all time, twinned with a full body gesture to go with it,

"Oh, just stop talking. You're so smart, aren't you, babe?" She lowered her accusing pointer finger, and returned both hands to their default position on her baby bump, begging her children to either hurry up and just get out of her, or give her a break for once. She was trembling now with the sheer velocity of the emotions rattling around inside her, "And I locked you in that damn cellar with 'him' because he is your brother, and someone had to do something to kickstart this high school drama. For God's sake, Wyatt, you're killing me." She cried and started to sob, suddenly exhausted, clutching at her chest.

Wyatt stared, wide-eyed at this woman with whom he'd chosen to commit himself to, this woman who was carrying his two children. He went to respond, but found that he couldn't, instead finding himself awe-struck, lips parted as though he'd suddenly began to buffer, frozen in a moment of action. It struck him how, right now, this woman in front of him was crying and screaming at him, not giving into him, smart mouthing him despite it all, carrying his children, still looking beautiful- it just- all at once, he found himself overwhelmed. He had no control over the next words out of his mouth.

"Marry me."

Hope sniffed and then opened her mouth to speak, and did a perfect imitation of Wyatt in his buffering stage, she stood there for a moment and just breathed, her chest rising and falling harshly, until she suddenly caught herself, and calmed down, all at once. She blinked in confusion, and then frowned somewhat, her arms falling to her sides uselessly,

"Excuse me?" She asked dazedly. Klaus looked between Wyatt and Hope and then fainted. Wyatt took a steadying breath, letting out a nervous-sounding, sort of half chuckle. He could feel his heart flutter a little inside of his chest, and for a moment he almost felt human again. The moment was short-lived and quick to pass him by, but it was a moment all the same.

"When I met you, I had no idea you'd become this important to me. I didn't think that anyone ever would, or that anyone ever could. I didn't care for love, romance, any of that stuff. My life was lonely, a constant void lined with ghosts from my past and nothing more. I might have had one or two... allies, so to speak, in various places, but nothing more. My life had no meaning until I got to know you. On the night that we met, roughly a year or so ago, you mistook me for my nephew in the Mystic Grill back home - though you soon realised that I wasn't him, even though we look a lot alike. You got curious about me and tried to analyse me from the other end of the bar, and I caught you looking. You tried to slip away, and when I approached you, you ran off. Like a crazy stalker..." Wyatt laughed a little, shaking his head a little, dropping to one knee as he looked at her, fond amusement in his eyes. "I followed you. Chased you, actually. It probably looked dubious, and I'm pretty sure I even scared you a little as we engaged in what was perhaps a fairly snarky conversation, until I asked you to dinner. Right there and then, even though it was 10 O'clock at night, as you pointed out to me; but I guess that you and I don't care much for the conventions of time, because you accepted. After, I took you out to a cliff point in the woods and we watched the city's lights below glow against the night sky; you let me tell you, despite only knowing each other for two hours, about my brother's death, and how our parents tried to kill us, how we ran. I guess there was an instant connection, some form of trust, even if I hadn't realised I was even genuine in my own intentions. You held my hand. You listened to me. Then I kissed you for the first time on the sofa in your living room, and when we'd shared stories and ate dessert with plenty to drink, I left, and you allowed me to see you again. From there, the rest of my life - a well-lived, semi-functional one - would begin. You reunited me with your father, the best friend that I'd been searching after for years after losing contact with him. You've showed me what it's like to have someone that genuinely loves and cares for me, someone who has no intention of betraying me, or torturing me, or using me as a pawn in their own selfish game. You've given me reason. I've never had reason before. You're my universe - everything in my life narrows down to one central point: you. In a dark, soulless, monster of a man, you somehow found and took a hold of his heart and preserved what was left of it, nurtured it, so that in return he could give everything that he has left into this relationship. You're the only person I can manage loving, and you're the only person I want to love."

Wyatt's hands shook a little bit as he produced an 18k white gold, Ceylon blue sapphire, diamond engagement ring and held it up towards her. He hadn't even questioned its excessive price; it'd caught his eye immediately, and it was beautiful. He was fairly certain - though not entirely, which was part of the reason he was so nervous - that she'd be enraptured by it.

"Honestly, if someone had told me then that I'd end up becoming serious about you, that you'd bear my children, twins, and that one day I'd ask to marry you... I would have run. I would have packed up and disappeared from town. Even now, this whole thing? It makes me uneasy, uncomfortable. I'm not good with emotional things, relationships, any of that. But being with you makes it worth it, and I can say with the utmost sincerity that, now, I can't see my life being lived without you. Forever is a long time, and I want that with you. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. So, Hope Analise Mikaelson, mother of my children - our children - and the only love of my life, will you do me the greatest honour of accepting this ring and giving me your hand in marriage?"

Hope stood there, dumbfounded at first, blinking furiously at him, eyes wide and whole expression bewildered, reminding those who were to look at her of bambi. She slowly closed her mouth, and swallowed, licking her lips nervously, eyes trained entirely on Wyatt, and her hands regaining momentum, she placed them lovingly on her bump, no longer desperate for her children to stop moving, she wanted them to move, to share in the moment with her. Hope felt her breathing catch in her throat once he had knelt before her, and it finally actually hit her what was happening. He was going to propose. Wyatt was proposing. She stayed completely silent as he gave his little monologue, and gradually, an adoring, besotted smile spread over her face, and her eyes lit up, she laughed a little giddily as he spoke, her eyes shining with happy tears now, and she was suddenly glowing, no longer exhausted and worn down, hysterical. This is what her love for Wyatt had the power to do, it saved her, enriched her, gave her renewal and life, she tilted her head as she watched him, completely enthralled by his voice, every movement he made, the self conscious way he was smiling, and it was honestly as if he were the sun, in that moment, he was so vibrant and important. She let out a shaky breath as Wyatt produced the ring, absolutely in love with it the very moment she saw it, and she put her hands to her mouth, her eyes widening. She realised the time was coming for her to reply, and he was going to ask her the all so important question. She knew what the answer was already, but she had never actually sat down with her own thoughts and wondered over how she would say it, as nothing seemed to suffice. However, when the question was eventually asked of her, there was a heartbeat as a measurement of the time between it and her answer, and she took a step towards him, tugging him up onto his feet and cupping his face, fingers curling under his jaw, kissing him with all the passion and love she held inside of her, making a delightedly heartfelt noise, melting into him as best she could with the damn bump in the way.

Wyatt felt himself slump with relief into the kiss, a small, grateful groan escaping him as he rose from his knees and wrapped his arms around Hope's shoulders, drawing her into him as close as he could possibly bring her with their two children still curled up and cosy inside her. He tilted his head into the kiss, relishing in the gently firm clasp of her hands on his face, lightly trailing his fingertips down the line of her back as he deepened the kiss somewhat, kissing her with every ounce of passion he could muster. Emotionally wrecked and stunted as Wyatt was, anything he did manage to feel? He felt it for her. He loved her. Enough to make her his wife. Hope realised suddenly that she hadn't actually answered, and pulled back from him abrupt with a gasp,

"It's- I- It's a yes. I will marry you. Yes." She breathed out in a hyped up rush, eager to get back to kissing him, but as she did so, her face nearing Wyatt's, she registered the lack of motion or sound from Klaus, and inches away from Wyatt's face, she suddenly spun and darted over to where he was lying on the ground, vaguely noting the sulky noise Wyatt made. She crouched down next to Klaus with the help of Wyatt, and cradled her father's face in her hands, his head on her lap, and gave him the smallest shock, just to wake him up,

"G'morning, Sleeping Beauty." She muttered. Klaus jolted awake from the feeling that surged through him, looking up at Hope with a look in his eyes of despair, not wanting to say anything, he had just gotten them both back in his life and he didn't want to be the one to ruin their big happy moment. And although he felt like he was being as strong as he could, his mind was weak, the wall he had built to keep Wyatt and Hope out of his mind now almost invisible as he thought to himself, "And now she won't need me anymore." He sat up and gave them both a genuine smile, giving her a hug and giving Wyatt a pat on the back with a smirk, putting on the best front that he possibly could at this point,

"Congratulations," he said before walking back into the house with a groan, a hand to his head as the small wound that had occurred in his fall finally finished healing. Hope frowned as he left, and promptly followed after him, catching up with him very easily,

"Dad-" She called out to him, and then took a steadying breath before starting on her little speech,

"I will always always always need you. You're my father. My rock. I love you, you know that? More than you and I would ever care to admit, or could find the words for. I would take the stake for you." She spoke this particular part passionately, gesturing towards her chest, over where her heart was, "The white oak one, or just anything that could harm you, I would take it, and I will." She promised him solemnly, taking his hand in hers, "I'm not going anywhere, Klaus. I could never leave you alone in this big old house, you'd go even madder," she joked, smiling up at him sweetly, going up onto her tiptoes to stroke his cheek, "I'll have my family here, where my family already is," She told him, nodding serenely, expression open and honest. She really did mean it. She couldn't bear the thought of moving out and leaving Klaus all alone again, she just couldn't do it. She understood him. All he wanted was to not be alone, to be able to trust and love, and be trusted and loved in return. She increased the intensity of her smile.

Klaus picked her up, despite the whole pregnancy thing and just cradled her in his arms, he held her up and fell back into a chair that had been in the little walkway the connected the garden to the other parts of the house, just holding her in his arms without another word to say. Not saying anything felt off, he felt like he had so much to say to her, starting with I love you too. All he wanted is what's best for her and if marrying Wyatt is going to be good for her, if she will be happy with it then he would be the last person to stand in the way of it, he knew Wyatt would treat her right, not just because he was terrified of seeing overprotective Alpha father Klaus, but because he had a true love for Hope that Klaus thought no one else would be able to share with him, that no one could love her more than he did, but here was that person. His best friend, his brother. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, not moving his lips, not wanting to miss anymore time, just laying there in the same position.

Wyatt observed the two from a short distance away, a small, fragile sort of smile on his face. He wasn't entirely... all there, in that moment. His head was cut between so many different directions, he felt like his own brained had transformed into one of those complex maps with too many lines and colours. He blinked a little and glanced down at his own faintly trembling fingers, the slight shake to his hands. He'd just proposed. Over 180 years of existence, and he'd just proposed to a woman he'd spent just under nine months with. Crazy? Perhaps he was. But then, really, he couldn't see himself ever loving another. He had no idea what it was about Hope that meant he, the sociopath, the cold, psychotic killer, had fallen in love. But there was something, and he'd taken the inevitable plunge. Glancing up at the two again - his best friend, his brother, and his fiancee - Wyatt took a steadying breath, before he slowly approached them.

Hope made a small noise of protest, but decided to allow Klaus this, in his own way, he was saying everything he ever wanted to say. She could tell he was struggling with the words, and the way he cradled her was reminiscent of how he had when she was a baby, in pictures she'd seen, he'd held her exactly like this, with the same adoring little smile, and the doting father persona. She huffed and conceded, allowing herself to be cradled, she picked lamely at a loose thread on her woolly maternity jumper-dress thing, and smiled up at Klaus when he demanded her attention. She sighed tiredly and kind of just... drifted off to sleep. She was exhausted. Emotionally, phyiscally, babywise, in every possible way... Hope was tired.


	14. Fourteen: Fluff, Smut and More Fluff

Wyatt wandered into the bedroom where Hope was leaning over the twins' cots, silently cooing and smiling as she observed their wriggling, sleeping forms. It'd been a month since they'd been birthed by now, and they seemed to be growing fairly quickly. Or maybe that was just Wyatt, feeling like time was slipping by, only having had his children in the world for a month and already fearing missing their childhood. Hope glanced up, no longer wary in her stance, as she had been when the twins were just born. Thinking that over briefly, Hope realised she had only relaxed around Wyatt and Klaus around the twins, although she was always perfectly fine with Wyatt and the twins, it was only when she wasn't aware of him approaching that she used to freak out, but now she was so tuned to the signs of him that she no longer jumped or swiveled around, she merely turned to greet him, a happy little smile on her face,

"Welcome home." She greeted him, she hadn't seen him all day.

Wyatt smiled back at her a little, coming up beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pressing his lips to her temple in greeting, muttering a quiet "hello" against her skin. He inhaled a little and turned to look down at the twins, fingertips tracing patterns over the top of Hope's arm absentmindedly as he did so. The sight of them always made him feel a little calmer within himself. They were alive and well. Breathing. Not corrupted for the time being. He hummed and leaned against Hope slightly, licking his lips.

"Miss me?" He asked her teasingly, eyes not moving from the twins. Hope shook her head and shrugged,

"Nah..." She teased right back, raising her eyebrows, keeping her face serious, and then turned her head away from him, pretending to be more interested in the twins, and then huffed and turned back to him approximately a minute later, not able to keep up her facade, burying her face into the crook of his neck, arms curling around his waist, meeting each other once again on his back,

"You know I did." She murmured. Wyatt chuckled faintly at her response, and then a pleased smile took over his features as she admitted that she had, in fact, missed him, her slender arms curling tight around his waist, face buried into his neck. He slipped around so he was head-on to her and pulled her in closer, still indulging in the fact that he had the ability to do so now. He'd missed being pressed up so close to her, feeling her constantly burning warmth against his cooler body, the hum of her magic vibrating against his skin and almost feeling like it was flowing through him. He bent his head down and kissed her cheek, closing his eyes.

"I love you," he told her easily, no longer feeling uncomfortable about doing so. Hope hummed comfortably, turning her face so that she still had her face in his neck, but could now see the twins from where she was, snuggling into Wyatt a little, his everyday natural, heady scent settling within her nostrils once again, taking up it's place there as it always did, and caused this amazing sense of serenity to wash over her. She turned her head back and moved it down a little to be nearer to his heartbeat, angling her head a little to press a kiss to the point on his chest, directly over where she knew his heart to be located,

"I love you, too."

Wyatt let out a small sigh of contentment, glancing at the twins once more before nudging Hope a little.

"C'mon," he said, beginning to shuffle towards the door, "the twins are fine. Fed, changed and sleeping, yes? Let's go spend some time together." He led her out to the corridor, though reluctant he was to separate from her so soon - it was quite alright; he'd have his arms around her again in no time at all. He peered in and checked over the room, before stealing a final glance at the twins and then stepping out, closing the bedroom door. He turned to Hope with a smile, quirking his eyebrows up a little in that way of his.

Hope made the tiniest noise of protest and nodded, separating from him as he took her hand and led her to the door. She put her finger up to him to indicate he should wait a second and then quietly made her way over to the cots, tucking her hair behind her ears as she leaned down, carefully, slowly for each twin and pressed a kiss to first Cassia, and then Jakobe's head. She smiled adoringly down at them, stroking their cheeks in a ghostly fashion so as to avoid waking them, and then was by Wyatt's side once more, watching him expectantly, closing the door behind them softly, allowing him to lead her wherever he wished to. Wyatt chuckled and shook his head a little before taking Hope by the hand and leading her into the bedroom. He hadn't gone straight to her when he'd gotten home, instead taking the time to grab Howl's Moving Castle and put it into the DVD drive of their bedroom TV, make them a mocha each, and set up some pillows and blankets on the bed to form the perfect snuggle cove within the sheets. He'd also taken the time to use the incense she bought for him and light up some relaxing scents of Cardamom, Cedar Wood and Patchouli.

Hope watched him curiously, wondering what he was so pleased and obviously smug about, it all became clear once they entered the bedroom, of course. At which point, it took her approximately to identify each and every thing he'd done, what was different, what he'd set up. She wriggled her nose and then hummed at the simply amazing scent that hit her, and amongst it was that of her favourite coffee. An indulgent smile spread over her features, and her eyes lit up. She squeezed his hand and then turned, spinning, curling his arm around her like couples do when dancing, and giving him a grateful kiss, cupping his cheek with her free hand. Wyatt grinned a little at Hope's reaction, indulging in the happiness he'd managed to provoke within her, before he found himself being kissed rather enthusiastically, and he let out a little sigh of relief through his nose, the sort of relief that came from simply being gratified with the proximity of a lover, and curled his arms around her waist, kissing her back and tilting his head into it a little, hands smoothing along her back in slow, circular patterns. He pulled away a little after a moment and pecked her lips a final time, nudging their noses, before he gestured with his head towards the coffees and the film that was ready to be played.

"They'll cool," he told her, chuckling a little. Hope didn't need to be told twice, and was suddenly propped up with some cushions on her side of the bed, she patted Wyatt's side of the bed and winked at him, laughing a little at his reaction and then fidgeted about a little as she waited for him, not getting comfortable just yet as she knew she wouldn't be allowed to sit by herself, and that Wyatt would decide how he wanted to curl up with her. She waited patiently, and when he had joined her, she scrambled for the controller, which was just out of her reach, and she had to force Wyatt to let go of her long enough for her to actually grab it, and then she slotted herself right back into his embrace, and started the film. Wyatt had closed the door behind himself before he made his way over. He chuckled a little as he got himself comfortable, amused by her excitable antics as she turned on the film. He sighed, pleased, when she eventually settled back into his embrace, and took his mocha, sipping it slowly as the movie began. He made a pleased noise and reached over to turn off the lamp - of which was luckily within reaching distance, on the bedside drawers - and allowed the room to be cast in the late evening darkness that came with Autumn, the only light coming from the almost-full moon, in its waxing gibbous phase, and the TV. He leaned into Hope a little and relaxed back into the plump cushions, enjoying the peacefulness that came with this moment. Hope was only distracted from the film by the happenings of the sky outside, she peered at it from where she was, making a small "ooooo" sound of appreciation, stroking her fingers lightly across Wyatt's collarbone as she did so, and then as quickly as her attention had been drawn away from her favourite film, it was grabbed once again. She maintained a small, nostalgic smile the entire time and sipped on her mocha, making sure to fully inhale the scent of it every time, Wyatt knew exactly how to make the beverage just the way she liked it, something that touched and pleased her. Wyatt would glance down at Hope occasionally, just every once in a while throughout the film. He quirked his eyebrows up slightly at the appreciative noise she made and followed her gaze to the outside world, pursing his lips a little in consideration. The sky hadn't been completely blackened by night at this point. Instead, the sky was a dark navy colour that left room for the gaps between the thick clouds to show up as lighter spaces, creating an odd pattern over the sky, something beautiful and unsettling at the same time with its enigmatic appeal and the haunted sort of feeling it evoke within Wyatt as he looked at it. This time of year, its darkness, he enjoyed it as much as he shivered at the thought of it. Shaking his head a little, he turned away from the sky and looked back at the TV, picking up what plot point the film was at.

Hope sensed his troubled thoughts without taking a look into his mind, or even drawing from any indication he made with his body language, as she always managed to, she just knew. It was just something between them, they were very good at sensing the other's mood, and it was a rather unnerving occurrence to witness from an outsider's perspective, as Hope and Wyatt could be on opposite sides of the room, conversing with different people, when suddenly he would be by her side, fretting over her, or she would be by his, inspecting his face. It was commented on a lot, but Hope and Wyatt never addressed it, finding it too hard to explain. She peered up at him, taking a hold of his face gently and turning it towards her without being forceful, and frowned ever so slightly as she inspected him, spotting the infrequencies within`his features, something was off, and regardless of what it was, Hope knew the best way to distract him, and so she simply shuffled about until she was slightly above him in their embrace, and tilted her head down to kiss him, wholeheartedly. Her eyes falling closed as she did so.

Wyatt hadn't been surprised by Hope's intuition, sensing his mind had wandered as if often did; he was surprised, however, to find himself being passionately kissed, effectively wiping his mind of all things other than her lips and her body. He immediately set his mug down on the bedside table, a little clumsily but nevertheless successfully, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap and pressing their bodies close together, letting out a small, breathy grunt as he shifted them slightly, getting more comfortable. His hands smoothed along her back and sides down to her hips, then lower to her thighs, running his palms back and forth over the soft, exposed skin, fingertips grazing under the hem of her shorts a little. Hope snickered at his eagerness, and sighed breathlessly into the kiss, stroking his cheek affectionately, her other hand finding its way into his hair, fingers curling amongst the strands of it, humming at the silky soft texture his hair had, something she hadn't expected when she first felt it, about a year ago, now. She angled her head to kiss him more effectively, running her fingers soothingly over his scalp, kissing him leisurely, and yet, passionately. Abruptly, however, Hope stopped and appeared once again cuddled up to his side, eyes on the TV screen, a small knowing smile on her face. He was definitely sufficiently distracted, now. Wyatt let out a small, throaty noise at the touch of her fingers to his scalp, running through his hair, the weakness she'd figured out within him from so early on. He kissed her back in the same manner as she was kissing him, enjoying the slow slide of their lips together, the expert way she'd learned him and the way he responded to different things. His hands moved back to their position on her hips, as they always did, gripping firmly. As quickly, it seemed, as it began, the kiss was over, leaving Wyatt blinking at the sudden absence of his fiancee's mouth and hands, before he let out a frustrated groan, snapping his head round to glare at her a little, though not meanly.

"Seriously?" He demanded petulantly. Hope took a long sip from her mocha and raised her eyebrows, turning to look at him slowly, taking her time, keeping her eyes on the TV until her head was facing him, her eyes flitting to him at the last second,

"This is the best part." She stated, gesturing her mug towards the TV innocently, cocking her head at him somewhat. She collected her hair up and threw it over one shoulder, exposing her neck to him, and then leaned back against the headboard, raising her eyebrows once again as she sipped on her drink, the picture of innocence, knowing full well what she was doing to him. Wyatt eyed her neck as soon as it was bared to him, the flush of her skin and the jump of her pulse. He'd better learned to control himself since being with her, but it still took a lot out of him to refrain from sinking his fangs into her neck. He shifted, a dangerous look crossing over his features, eyes darkened considerably by desire and the faintest hint of blood lust.

"Hope..." he said lowly, glancing up at her. His eyebrows were furrowed and his entire body was tense, like the scarce moments before he'd pounce. He pushed up onto his knees and took the mug from her, placing it aside, before he caged her in with his arms, lips a couple of inches from hers. "Don't play games with me," he whispered, making their lips brush as he leaned closer, before he ducked his head and pressed them just-barely to the spot below her ear, murmuring, "you'll lose."

Hope hummed under the pretense of consideration, and then sighed as if making a sacrifice, and ducked her head to kiss him, their lips making a smacking sound as they parted,

"Not playing games, just teasing." She corrected him lightly and then, as revenge for his romantic assault on the sensitive spot below her ear, she found /that/ particular spot she knew to be his biggest weakness in terms of sensitivity on the body, and exploited it lightly with her fingers, smirking at his reaction, tilting her head, watching him with a small pout, before cutting his protestation off mid sentence with a kiss, ssshhing him as she did. Wyatt groaned softly at Hope's continued teasing, a shiver running through his body at the sensation of her fingers over his soft spot, a complaint on his lips as she pulled away that was quickly silenced before it could even be made by her lips rejoining his. He let out a small noise of relief and pressed her back into the mattress, pushing the pillows aside a little so that they were still nearby but not in the way, as he covered her body with his own and bore his weight, kissing her deep and slow, languid, enjoying the feel of being pressed up against her after so long. It'd be the first time he had since her pregnancy, as the first month of parenthood left little time for their interactions. Every fibre in his body was eager to be as close to her as possible, to revel in what he'd miss for the past ten months. Hope returned his eager attitude to what was obviously about to go down, and kissed him back with a passion she'd kept stifled for the past ten months of torture, and sighed blissfully at finally being able to relax and get lost in Wyatt, once again, and bucked her hips up to wrap her legs around his waist, fingers running through his hair again, her default reaction to kisses such as this. She leaned up into him as much as possible, having missed the proximity and the feeling of her body against his just as much as he had.

Wyatt brought a hand down to one of Hope's thighs, fingers curling round the back of it in the way they always seemed to whenever the two of them came together like this. There was something about the softness of her skin and the supple curves of her body, so delicate and fragile despite everything about her that suggested otherwise, that appealed to him. Perhaps it was the innocence she'd possessed when they first met, and still maintained even now despite some of the things she'd done to others. There was always a reason whenever she carried out a sinful act: protection, love, a greater good. So unlike Wyatt himself. It drew him in, and he wanted everything she had to give him. He broke away from the kiss on a laboured breath, tilting his head down to graze his lips across her throat, fangs just skimming over her skin, but not fully extended. Hope chuckled and squirmed a little, shivering lightly and then drew the sound out into a quiet moan, turning her head to allow him better access to her neck, tugging at his top, indicating she wished to remove it, and then once given permission to do so, she assisted him in pulling it over his head and throwing it carelessly to the other side of the room. Howl's Moving Castle was still playing in the background, and it was bothering her, as this was a film she had never wanted to ruin the innocence of, and so broke away from Wyatt momentarily to speed around and turn it off, appearing under Wyatt again in the same position she was before, rewinding her legs around him, leaning up to peck his lips, eyes trailing over the lust in his expression. Wyatt took a second to take a deep breath in Hope's split second absence, before she was back underneath him, legs around his waist once again. He pressed his hips against hers, grinding down, and lowered himself once again on top of her, lips resuming their path along her neck. He placed light, open-mouthed kisses over the pulse in her artery, spending a moment there, before he slipped a hand under her shirt, fingertips lightly tracing the curve of her waist with a sensual sort of delicacy, and he lightly traced his tongue up to the point below her ear, grazing his teeth there. Every touch, aside from the grind of their hips, was light and fairly teasing; he wanted to make her go a little crazy for it first, writhe below him for more than he was giving. He wanted her breathless with need.

Hope groaned at him and gave him a small shove, but smiled against his lips, regardless, she gasped for air and had to pull away from him for a moment, and then immediately returned to the task at hand, and she wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what he was doing, what he wanted. She decided to give it to him, as he'd waited ten whole months, after all, and so she allowed herself to focus entirely on him, narrowing her thoughts and sensations, instincts and desires down to Wyatt, and him alone, she whined softly in the base of her throat and clutched needily at his shoulder, pawing at him almost, she flexed her hips up towards him, trying to pull him closer, a quiet keen emitting from her, her brow creased. She really did need him. She was aching for it at this point. Wyatt grinned a little against Hope's neck, letting out a small, breathy laugh. The sound of her soft whines and keens got under his skin immediately, and in response he pulled back to strip her of her shirt and shorts, before in a flash he was bearing down against her once more and allowing his hands to explore her warm skin. The beat of her heart had quickened considerably and it thumped like a dull drum in the back of his mind, his lips trailing her collarbones and down to her chest, pressing a kiss over where her heart was, before he caught her lips with his and kissed her fervently, teeth lightly grazing over her bottom lip and a hand coming between them, cupping her through her underwear and letting her grind down into the heel of his hand.

Hope gasped breathlessly, which was a hard thing to accomplish, and yet was the effect Wyatt had on her, and moaned as she complied, grinding down needily onto his hand, tipping her head back, his lips following hers somehow as she did so, and found herself momentarily paralysed in relief at the familiar, almost nostalgic sensations of their bodies coming together. Oh, how she had missed the pleasure he could always give to her, she rocked herself onto his hand and kissed him needily, hands travelling the expanse of his bare torso. Wyatt made a pleased noise at Hope's reaction, pushing her underwear to the side as she ground down against him and slipping two fingers inside her with relative ease, her arousal making her accept him eagerly. He pushed in deep, all the way down to his knuckles, and curled his fingers to press against that spot inside her that had her toes curling and her back arching. Normally he'd tease her, make her wait, draw it out, but it'd been so long already and tonight he just wanted to take her as soon as he could. He pulled away from her lips and instead returned to her neck, biting down on the soft spot he'd previously only teased at and sucking a deep bruise into the skin there, effectively marking her for as long as her healing permitted it to stay, tongue massaging against the spot as he did so. Hope let out a helpless sort of half groan half curse, and clung to him, resting her forehead against his shoulder, she moaned lustily and rolled her hips somewhat, biting down on her lip, her eyes falling closed reflexively, eyelashes fluttering, her mouth fell open into an o shape and she bit down lightly on his shoulder, not sinking her teeth in, merely looking for purchase, needing to find someway to contain herself. She pushed her hips forward to meet his fingers and let out a steady cacophany of quiet moans, whimpers, gasps and groans, one hand coming up to cup the back of his head.

Wyatt groaned a little at the sight and feel of her coming apart below him, pulling his mouth away from her throat and looking down between them at the way their bodies rocked together and how she arched against his hand so beautifully. He licked his lips, letting out a rasping breath, before he turned to press his lips to her ear, murmuring, "what do you want?", looking for some indication of her needs. All he wanted to do in that moment was please her; he didn't care about anything other than making her feel good, fulfilling her desires and driving her over the edge into bliss. In response to this, she dragged her hands down his body to his jeans, which were tight against him now, surely painfully so, and began to undo them tugging at them, she turned her head towards his face, pressing a kiss to his lips and then resting her own by the corner of his mouth,

"You," she replied breathlessly, "I need you." She sighed, slipping a hand past his now open zipper and into his boxers, stroking at him, continuing with her vocal utterances of her pleasure. Wyatt let out a low moan as Hope's fingers curled around his length, stuttering a little in his motions as she worked her hand against him, before he rocked his hips into it and removed her underwear entirely, kicking his jeans down and pushing his fingers inside her again, this time circling her clit with his thumb and pressing down just enough to send waves of pleasure through her limbs, lips finding hers in another deep kiss. Hope felt herself visibly and very obviously melt at this, and fidgeted somewhat underneath him, the desperation for him was getting to be too much now, and she really was breathless with need, just how he had wanted her to be, she worked her hand and fingers over his length, flicking her wrist occasionally, lips finding his whenever she could, rocking her hips up and onto his fingers to synchronise with his motions, stilling in shock at the feeling of the sensation being doubled when he started on her clit, too, her vocals got louder.

Wyatt groaned a little and pulled away to reach into the top drawer of the chest beside them, retrieving from it a packet of condoms and pulling one out. He quickly ripped the packet open and knelt up, pinching the tip and rolling it down his length, before he dropped down over Hope once again, guiding himself inside her slowly, pushing in with an agonising sort of patience to really make her feel it, his lips leaving a trail of soft kisses down the side of her neck as he did so, teeth grazing over her delicate, flushed skin. Hope chortled distractedly at the addition of the condom, the connotations appealing to her as being amusing, but then she was cut off, and abruptly moaned, rising up a little, arms curling around his shoulders as pushed into her, she half gasped and then shut her mouth reflexively, her jaw clenching, her eyelids fluttering, biting down on her lower lip lightly, teasing the lip between her teeth, Hope wriggled her hips ever so slightly to help ease him into her, and nodded to him once she had had the time to adjust, hissing lightly at the raw and powerful sensation coursing through her once again. She was pleased to note the condom made barely any difference, and she could almost forget it was there. She kissed and nibbled along the underside of his jaw, right by the hinge. Wyatt tilted his head slightly as Hope nipped at his jaw in a way that had his spine arching a little, eyes closing tightly against the overwhelming feel of finally being inside her again after so long, enveloped in the heat of her. Every time he'd been aching for her over the past ten months, he'd had to clench his teeth and ball his fists against it. But now, finally, he could just have her as he wanted her. Wyatt's hands found hers and he pinned them either side of her head, fingers lacing together in an oddly intimate gesture, and then he started to move, drawing back halfway before pushing into her again, steadily building up a rhythm.

Hope was now effectively pinned to the bed, though she couldn't say she minded, and rolled her hips up to meet his as he moved inside her, creating interesting sensations, taking advantage of this move, as it was all she had and all she could contribute. She sighed a little shakily and arched her spine, their chests pressing completely against each other, blissfully, briefly, before she fell back down onto the bed, panting slightly, she craned her neck up so that she could be near to his ear and murmur,

"I love you."

Wyatt let out a small, low moan and turned his head to capture her lips in a messy, uncoordinated kiss as he increased the pace of his thrusts, hips pushing to hers in a rougher manner, angling himself to hit that spot inside her each time. He let go of one of her hands to take a hold of her thigh, pushing it aside a little so he could hit a deeper angle. He pulled his lips away a little and rested their foreheads together, little grunts of pleasure escaping him now and then. Hope instantly bit down on her lip once his lips had released her, a hand coming up to cup his face, her forehead resting against his intimately, and she maintained the rolling of her hips, arching her spine to be closer to him every now and again, and she held her legs open wider for him, moaning much louder as this improved everything she was feeling, so much so that the velocity of the pleasure became overwhelming, at times, and Hope had to hold onto Wyatt for dear life, as he rocked her, a little roughly now, not that she minded, she wanted it rough, as long as she got as much of Wyatt as she could, she was more than happy to comply. Wyatt hitched her legs up and around his waist, before he swiftly flipped their positions and sat back against the headboard with her in his lap. Their position meant that he could really push up into her, getting all of her sweet spots and making her really feel it. He snapped his hips up and gripped her hips, leaning forward to kiss and suck over her chest, leaving small blossoms of hickies over her skin that faded in mere seconds, they were so delicate - a contrast to the drive of his hips and the clutch of his hands. He drew her as close as possible to him, craving her more than ever. Hope also felt the agonising need to be close to him, and so pressed her lips to his cheek, moaning softly against the skin there, her arms looping around his neck, her mouth eventually finding his, kissing him sloppily, as she was being jogged about so much, smiling into the kiss, amused at how difficult it was to actually kiss him like this. She started to assist him with the intercourse, rising and falling in time with his own motions, her body pulled flush against his.

Wyatt let out a breathless noise of amusement and groaned into her skin, turning his face into her neck and biting down on the juncture of muscle between her neck and shoulder. He licked over where he'd bitten and traced his tongue up to her earlobe, nipping softly and flicking his tongue over the sensitive flesh before ducking his head down and circling his tongue around a nipple, taking it between his teeth lightly before sucking gently, fingers moving to tease at her clit as he fucked up into her. Hope let her head fall back in bliss, her eyes rolling up into the back of her head a little, and her hands remaining on his shoulders, gripping on, until she removed one and placed it on the headboard, gripping onto that instead, nails digging into it. She groaned in a drawn out fashion, bringing her head back up to gaze down at him, watching what he was doing intently, she grinded herself down onto him when appropriate and gasped each time she did so. Wyatt felt his stomach muscles clench and tighten as he drew closer to the edge, and his pace quickened considerably, wanting to overwhelm her and bring her to the brink, push her over the edge. He brought his fingers to his mouth, eyes meeting hers as he did so, and licked over them, wetting them, before he returned them to their previous position, working her most sensitive areas as he drove hard inside her. Hope's eyes widened as she watched him, touching on his eyes, creating contact for a moment, but then she was distracted by his fingers, and then she whimpered, anticipating what was to come, and when it did come, she brought herself down to cling onto him, a hand cupping the back of his head, another hand clinging onto his shoulder, arms wrapped around him intimately, and she moaned and whimpered and gasped into his shoulder, the sounds she was making becoming a little more high pitched as she too began to feel that familiar tension.

Wyatt let out a gruff noise as he flipped them over once again, bracing an arm by her head and wrapping her legs around him once again, pushing a pillow beneath her hips to keep her angled upwards so he could hit that spot inside of her deeply, his fingers resuming their previous ministrations. He caught her mouth with his, a rough, hot kiss, more their mouths occasionally working together before slipping apart with his vigorous thrusts. He made a low noise and buried his face into her neck, sucking over her sensitive spot with a mumbled "Love you", eyes falling shut as the sensations overwhelmed him, the arch of her body and the sound of her moans spurring him on, bringing him so close. Hope was left mostly useless at this point, and could only arch her spine and make vocal additions to the noises in the room, her eyes closed, her face communicating nothing but love and pleasure, she smiled upon hearing his mini confession and leaned up so he could hear her reply,

"Love you, too" She breathed out and then moaned, close to his ear, she moved away so as to not be as loud as she desired to be right near his ear, arching her spine in an extreme way as her climax neared her, and the moment Wyatt came into contact with the sensitive spot on her neck, she felt her walls tightening around him, clenching, and then she cried out in pleasure, and toppled over the edge into bliss, clinging to him for dear life. Once she had come down from her high, she worked on helping to get him to the same place, pressing light kisses to his face, murmuring things to him, her hands tracing sensually along his V-line and up and across his abs, she brought them back down to his pelvis and then grinded herself up to meet him when she could. It wasn't longer after Hope's release that Wyatt found his own, and with a stutter of his hips, a helpless sort of low moan punched out of him, and he buried his face into her neck, gasping through it as he emptied pushed forward and stilled inside her, releasing into the latex. His eyes were screwed shut as his body shuddered, lips trailing soft, affectionate kisses over Hope's shoulder as he slowly came down from his high. He collapsed on top of her then, though no harshly or too heavily, still maintaining an element of control and balance. He simply stayed there for a moment, breathing into her shoulder, before he carefully pulled out, removing the condom and tying it at the end, throwing it into the bin. With a huff, he dropped down next to her and pulled her in against his side, their skin sweat-slick and sticking. Hope laughed tiredly and rolled over to curl into his side, meeting him halfway, she didn't care about the sheen of sweat that she shared in common, resting her head on his shoulder, sighing in satisfaction, blinking a little dazedly and staring serenely up at the ceiling. She extended her hearing to the twin's room, taking a moment to block everything else out and make sure they were okay before allowing herself to relax for any longer. Once happy that they were safe and happy and sound, she closed her eyes and pressed a kiss to Wyatt's sweaty chest, once again not caring for the sweat. Wyatt chuckled a little, still partially breathless and his throat a little dry as a consequence of the way he'd exerted himself during their sex. He wrapped Hope up in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead, closing his eyes as he tucked his face against her hair, relaxing against her. He was quite content to lay there for a long while, maybe even fall asleep that way; but he knew it was a better idea to shower off the sweat they'd worked up. That could wait for a moment, however.

Hope hummed appreciatively and smoothed her hand up from his chest to the back of his neck, hugging him closer,

"I love you," she sighed quietly, having realised she hadn't been the first one to say it all day, as Wyatt had been doing so. She listened to his heartbeat but was disrupted by the pain she could sense in his throat, the dryness, whatever it was that was troubling him, her powers were tugging at her, informing her of their existence, and so she placed her hand attentively to his throat, and rid him of the troubles, yet again using her powers, and then settled down once again. Wyatt glanced down at Hope as her hand came to rest against his throat, whatever she was doing serving to make him feel better. He gave her a grateful little smile, though shook his head with fond amusement.

"You didn't need to do that," he told her softly, "but thank you." He leaned down and pressed a small kiss to her lips, before drawing back a little to murmur against them. "And I love you too."

Hope nodded sagely, a pleased little smile playing on her lips,

"I didn't have to, no, but I could, and so I did." She muttered back, tracing along his collarbone, peering up at him with a small smile, tiredness taking over a little now. Wyatt nodded a little with a small hum and tugged the blankets over them, uncaring at this point. They could always shower in the morning and change the sheets.

"You sleepy, huh?" He assumed, smiling gently. Hope squirmed a little and chuckled, nodding in a slightly exaggerated matter,

"That obvious, huh?" She answered, imitating his still of questioning, "Can you blame me? How are you not tired?" She asked suddenly, waking up a little, raising an eyebrow at him, but then she stared at him too long, as she couldn't resist leaning down to peck his lips. Wyatt chuckled a little, quirking his eyebrows and wriggling them a little before leaning up to meet her halfway, kissing her lips gently before he pulled back again and looked up at her with a faint amusement.

"I have a lot of stamina," he told her with a small shrug, licking his lips. Hope rolled her eyes, reluctantly amused and not at all surprised, and glancing over to her mocha, where it had been disregarded on the bedside table. She scowled at it, pouting slightly at the loss, and then sighed, shaking her head almost tragically, deciding it was nothing, she would have sacrificed much more for sex with Wyatt. She remembered at that point that he was able to hear her thoughts and abruptly brought an end to her thought process, quirking an eyebrow at him. Wyatt snorted and hid his face into a pillow, shoulders shaking under the force of his restraint as he tried to avoid outright laughing at her. He gave up the pretense when she slapped him between the shoulder blades, however, snorting and beginning to cackle a little freely. He slowly simmered down into a chuckle and shook his head with an amused sigh, grinning at her.

"We can stick it in the microwave, y'know," he told her casually, playing with the ends of her hair.

Hope mock glared at him and shrugged, watching his progress with her hair, a little mesmerised for some reason, perhaps it was the odd delicacy of the motion. She shook her head lazily,

"We'd have to get out of bed. I'm much too comfortable for that." She replied simply, picking up the packet that held the incense from Wyatt's side of the bed, where it had been left on the bedside table, and examined the packet, humming lightly as she read over it.

Wyatt glanced at her as she took hold of the incense and scanned over the packet, nodding his head a little, before he returned his gaze to her face. He hummed a little and decided that he agreed, settling down more comfortably into the nest of pillows and blankets again. He sighed with a small yawn, closing his eyes.

Hope's own yawn had been triggered by his own, and so, with a huff, she put the packet back and then scooted over to snuggle up to him, ducking under his outstretched arm, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, stretching within his embrace. Hope felt the warm comfort of sleep beckoning her, and she was happy to just fall into the void, cuddled up to her naked fiance, the room still smelling like mocha and that incense, their babies safe and healthy and sound asleep in the other room.

Wyatt tugged a blanket high over them, wrapping his arms around his fiancee with a happy noise. He buried his face into the back of her neck, breathing in the heady scent of her and their interactions, before he settled, comfortable and sated, against her back, and felt himself being lulled into a state of restfulness.

[time jump]

Hope awoke the next morning feeling weirdly calm and well rested, which was only weird because she always woke up with a degree of panic, everyday after the twins had been born, her vulnerable mind always fearing the worst, or freaking out over the fact her bump wasn't there. But not today. Today she woke up with a smile on her face, she blinked sleepily and tried to roll over to see Wyatt but she was locked too securely in his embrace, and so had to crane her neck to see him.

Wyatt was still asleep, his arm slung over Hope's waist, keeping her close and near to his side, laying on his front with his head stuffed into the pillows, breathing softly and evenly against the sheets, his face looking relaxed and peaceful, serene in a way that it never was when he was awake. He stirred a little, licking his lips in his sleep, making a small mumbling noise.

Hope eventually managed to get herself turned around so that she was facing him, and ghosted her fingers over the details of his face, careful not to wake him, her eyes travelling lovingly over the way he looked in the morning light, the sunlight filtered in through the window. Wyatt never allowed her to draw the curtains, and so there was nothing to act as a barrier against it, so it filled the entire room. It was nice, though, it was warm, and as the windows were closed, the warmth was all they experienced of the Autumn morning weather. She stretched subtly in his arms and rubbed at her eyes, not taking them off his sleeping form once.

Wyatt twitched a little in his sleep at the sensation of Hope's fingers on his face. His body tensed up instantly, like prey sensing its stalker, stilling and about to lash out in defense, before he blinked a little with closed eyes and gained a little more consciousness, realising it was Hope beside him. He let out a sleepy sigh and slowly roused himself, eyelashes fluttering a little against his cheekbones as he brought a fist up to rub the sleep away from his eyelids. He blinked his eyes open and slowly adjusted to the morning light, vision a little bleary until it cleared up and he could take in the sight of Hope next to him.

Hope waited patiently, watching him with a small adoring smile, she retracted her hand and hummed sleepily, stretching out like a cat, the blanket had fallen off her for the most part and the sunlight blanketed at her instead, and the warmth of it was blissful. She brought her attention back to Wyatt and greeted him as he woke with a tentative, light little kiss,

"Morning." She mumbled, sighing happily.

Wyatt hummed and made a sleepy, non-committal reply, still mostly out of it as he always was during the mornings. He didn't do well with them, evidently. He hummed a little and puckered his lips slightly in response to the kiss, but didn't much more than that, simply letting his eyes shut again.

Hope chuckled and let him be, she stretched further and then managed to slip out from under his arm, blurring off into the bathroom and having a shower. She stepped out fifteen minutes later and dried off quickly, using her powers to assist herself, and then got ready, applying the barest minimum of makeup. She made her way as silently as she could through their room and went to check on the twins, finding them to have woken up moments before she had walked in. Hope cooed and scooped them up and fed and changed them, and then carried them through with her to her and Wyatt's room, cuddling up on her side of the bed with them in her arms, waiting patiently for Wyatt to wake up.

Wyatt groaned a little and rolled onto his back at the sounds and motions of Hope and the twins next to him. He groaned a little and ran his fingers through his hair with a deep sigh, grumbling at being disturbed when he didn't want to be before huffing and pushing up onto his elbows. He licked his lips and glanced to his side, eyeing the children in his fiancee's arms, before he sniffed and shuffled out of the bed, making his way into the shower.

Hope raised an eyebrow and grimaced a little, sad that she'd woken him,

"Sorry, baby, I didn't mean to wake you." She murmured to him, stroking his cheek as he sat up, eyes following him as he made his way to the bathroom. She sighed peaceably once he'd gone and rocked her children, humming a mesmerising tune, watching them fondly as they drifted off to sleep again. She'd picked up on the fact they were tired.

Wyatt returned not ten minutes later with his hair ruffled messily from the towel, still damp, and the towel he'd used was wrapped low on his hips as he wandered back into the bedroom and moved over to his drawers. He pulled on a pair of boxers and jeans, forgoing a shirt for the meantime, before disappearing back into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he'd applied deodorant and finally finished in there, he returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed next to Hope with a small huff, taking one of the children from her with a certain seriousness about his face that always graced his features whenever he was within close proximity to the twins.

Hope watched him bemusedly, she was settled down and comfortable with Cassia wrapped up in her arms, once he had taken Jakobe she slowly brought the other arm up to properly cradle her daughter, stroking from her temple down to just above her chin with one delicate finger, offering Cassia a finger to cling to, which she eagerly took. Hope wriggled her a finger, watching with a small amused huff as Cassia stared unblinkingly at it with wide, bewildered eyes, and then ceased the motion, patting her daughter lightly with the hand that was below her and staring out of the window, getting caught up in the way the pallette of the sky blended together.

Wyatt glanced away from Jakobe to look at Hope for a moment, a fond smile crossing his features as he admired the distant look in her eyes. He leaned over and pressed a small kiss to her cheek, nudging his nose against her temple afterwards before settling down against her and cradling Jakobe to his chest. He lightly rocked the sleeping baby but did nothing much more than that, content to simply enjoy the close proximity of his lover and his children, his family. Their family. It'd been forever and a year ago, it seemed, since he'd had a family; but now he was finally settled, it seemed. Or as settled as a vampire could be. He had the love of his life and two beautiful children with her, and they were simply sitting quietly in their shared room with the Autumn morning light pouring in through the windows.

Hope smiled as his lips came into contact with her cheek, and hummed in appreciation, turning her face in towards him a little, glancing down towards Cassia as she woke up suddenly, seemingly sensing her father's proximity, and reached for him, doing little grabby hands, and so she motioned for Wyatt to swap with her, and when he had, she held Jakobe up to kiss him on the cheek, before lying him down on her chest, bracing him there securely,

"We need to introduce them to people soon," she commented serenely, as a side point to him.

Wyatt huffed a little and glanced down at Cassia as he and Hope swapped the children between themselves, lips curling a little at the idea and brow drawing down into a displeased sort of furrow. As much as he wanted to show their babies off, he was reluctant to expose them to the outside world. He knew what a cruel, dastardly place it could be, and such was no place for his delicate, innocent little babies. He cradled Cassia to his chest, her head against his slow, sluggish-beating heart. He sighed and nodded a little, agreeing with her - albeit reluctantly.

Hope widened her eyes at his reaction and then nodded slowly in agreement, reading his expression as if he had just written his thoughts down on paper,

"Oh, don't worry, they're not going outside just yet. No further than this property. The visitors are coming to us, in the comfort of our own home." She assured him determinedly, giving him a small smile, hoping it would settle him somewhat. She hummed thoughtfully and tried to picture how Klaus would react to the babies.

Wyatt let out a small sigh of relief and nodded his head, a more relaxed posture gracing him now. He hummed a little and lightly trailed his fingertips over the back of Cassia's neck with a light, fluttery touch, gentle over her baby skin.


	15. Fifteen: Hayley Returns

A million thoughts seemed to rush into Hayley's mind, as she began making her way towards the Mikaelson household. It's been twenty-one years since Hayley had last seen her daughter, the only thing that kept her going was the thought of her finally being able to hold her little girl. But it seemed fate had different plans: Hayley left the home and the family she made in New Orleans behind to escape Davina's clutches but never once did the desire to reunite with her daughter leave her mind. She wrote letters every day to Klaus or Elijah praying for news about Hope's arrival back home, but the letters were unsent or burned by her now late husband Jackson Kenner with the help of his grandmother. It was their fault, she didn't hear about Hope's return until after another year, a year she spent crying herself to sleep at the thought of never seeing her daughter again, the thought of never seeing her real family, The Mikaelsons again. Her lips parted slightly as she let out a small growl towards memory, her heart seemingly pounding against her chest as she arrived at the door. She gently raised a clutched fist and knocked three times before stepping back, Hayley knew she should have called Klaus to set something up, but she couldn't wait anymore; she wanted to meet the woman her daughter had become over the years.

Klaus was in the kitchen when he caught the old scent of the old friend, foe and whatever other titles he could stick onto her, which was quite a few. A low growl formed in his chest as his eyes shot around, ears perked up to see if anyone was coming, to listen if anyone's heartbeat, listening out mostly for Hope's to make sure she hadn't caught the scent of her mother who had been long gone, who ran. He turned on the blender to cover the noises after putting some ingredients in for one of his special smoothies then flashed outside, opening the door and picking Hayley up by her neck, throwing her off of the porch and onto the front yard. Klaus then sped over towards her to pick her up, grabbing her by her shirt and flashing so they got lost in the woods, masking her scent with his own,

"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing here?" he asked her, pushing her back so she would stumble onto her own two feet, "Better yet, don't answer that, I don't care. Grab whatever you brought, I'll give you a leash for your werewolf husband and you two can be on your merry way," he almost yelled at her, beginning to walk away and towards the house, clenching his fists tightly while fighting everything in him to not turn around and throw her out of Mystic Falls himself.

Hope had been reading a book in the twins' room, sleepy and comfortable, perfectly content in the presence of her children, and her foxes, who were currently rubbing their way around her ankles. It was nice. Cosy. She paused in her reading, suddenly, as her hyper sensitive hearing caught the sound of Klaus cursing under his breath, and then she sat up a little straighter, frowning as she concentrated. He was fumbling with the blender downstairs, cursing again. She cocked her head and glanced down to the foxes, who had stopped nuzzling against her calves to sit and watch her inquisitively. Hope flared her nostrils slightly as she heard Klaus rush out of the front door, slamming it behind him. He must have thought the blender would have covered the sound, and perhaps he had been planning on closing the door quietly. She told the foxes to stay with the twins without actually speaking to them aloud, and ventured downstairs, her book still in one hand, hanging down by her side, a curious frown on her face. She knew her father so well. She knew when he was acting oddly. Hope wriggled her nose as she caught the scent of one of Klaus' smoothies being made, and hummed in appreciation, but then her frown deepened. One of the ingredients was wrong, she could smell as much from where she was standing. Klaus never got anything wrong, ever, so that meant something was off. Upon finally entering the kitchen, Hope saw that the blender was unattended, and shut it off. The fruit was very much blended by now, and turned to glance out of the window, eyebrows raising at the sight of her father stalking back to the house in a rage.

Wyatt had just been returning from his venture into the next town over, having had some business to attend to, when the strong scent of wolf caught his attention; he snarled a little, pausing in his tracks. The scent was new, female, strange yet with a hint of something familiar at the same time. Wyatt's skin crawled. Fucking wolves. What was a lone wolf doing in these parts, he wondered, when the territory was quite markedly claimed? He felt his fangs push at his gums, but kept himself restrained for the meantime. He couldn't see the wolf, nor could he hear one lurking anywhere nearby. Perhaps they'd simply been passing through - not that he really believed so, but ignorance could sometimes be bliss. Wyatt perked up, however, when he heard the familiar sound of Klaus' yelling. Well, that was never a good sign. He sighed and picked up his pace as he trudged through the woodlands, before eventually muttering "fuck it" to himself and flashing over to the hybrid as he angrily stalked back towards the Mikaelson mansion. Wyatt came to a standstill a little behind Klaus and turned to glance over his shoulder; the female wolf's scent was stronger here, and evidently so, as she was standing not too far away, dark hair resting on slender shoulders, an indignant sort of look tainted by what seemed to be upset resting upon her facial features. Wyatt stiffened. He'd seen photos of her. Who was she?

Hayley stumbled back against a tree, she took in a deep breath before blinking away the tears that built up in her eyes. She took a deep breath in before she quickly made her way into the direction Klaus was heading. When a new, unfamiliar vampire scent hit Hayley's nostrils, she turned her head to catch a glance of who this male was, she studied his features for a minute: he had a pale complexion, a strong bone structure, and a broad forehead, he could have been the twin of Stefan Salvatore, but she knew Stefan's scent. She instantly thought back to stories told about Klaus' oldest and dearest friend, Wyatt De Sauveterre. She quickly pulled herself out of the thoughts before flashing in front of Klaus, her back towards the front of the house. "Look... I know I should have called before I came over, but I had to see her and I know I haven't been around, but I didn't know about her returning here until a few days ago," she said honestly. Her eyes locked with Klaus' giving him a pleading look, "You know how much I love her.. you know I would have been right back to New Orleans the second I got the news she was back." Hayley added on. She didn't mention the betrayal of Jackson, but she knew what she was stepping into by coming back unannounced.

Klaus looked back at Wyatt who had been standing their with a stupid look on his face, half amused that Klaus' lover was back in town and half- something that mimicked worry, obviously for Hope. He pushed Wyatt with his arms towards the house, giving him a slight look that they had shared, Klaus had too many emotions running through his blood, he knew that he couldn't keep this from Hope, he would have to eventually tell her, she wasn't stupid nor naive.

"It seems some formal introductions need to be placed here. Hayley, as you may already know, this is Wyatt. Wyatt, given that you've just learned her name, I also presume you know who this is," Klaus turned around so he was no longer facing Hayley, but Wyatt, Hope was the only important thing right now and she couldn't know, not yet. "Now, go make sure Hope stays as far away from this as possible until I've worked this out," he turned on his heels so he was facing Hayley again, "You and I are going to have a chat, love," he grabbed her by her arm and flashed off into the woods once more, flashing out to the point in which he knew no one would be able to hear them now, not even Hope with her tribrid powers. "The nerve you have! Y-You show up out of the blue after abandoning us- abandoning her," he almost shouted, the vein in his neck pushing forward from the strain, "And you expect me to just welcome you back with open arms." He shook his head and laughed, rubbing his face before looking at her, "You must have really lost your mind if you think you're going anywhere near her, I will kill-" but he stopped himself and remember the promise he made to Hope ages ago to not kill Hayley, no matter what she had done, "You are not welcomed into my home."

Hope's frown became accompanied very quickly by alarm as she saw how furious her father was. And then there was Wyatt- he looked upset, too. They were looking at and talking to... Someone. Whoever it was, they were too far away from the house for Hope to make out, too camouflaged amongst the trees. She hugged herself and cocked her head, wandering over to hover near the front door. The only thing stopping her from leaving was the fact that she would never leave the twins alone in the house, not even with the foxes. Hope flared her nostrils and sniffed. She picked up only the vaguest hint of the new smell as it had been mostly masked by Klaus', but it was oddly familiar. She couldn't place it.

Wyatt had glared a little at Niklaus for the handling - as per usual; he really shouldn't have expected any less at this point - but nodded his head and listened to him, sending a sharpish glance over his shoulder at the she-wolf, Hayley. He licked his lips, jaw clenched, and turned on his heels, eyes finding Hope immediately where she was peering out of the window. He stalked up the driveway and hopped the porch steps, entering the mansion and slamming the door shut closed behind him. Hope had moved to the door at this point, and he raised his eyebrows at her curious expression, unwilling to give answers as he shook off his leather jacket and hung it on one of the coat pegs. Wyatt made sure to twist the key in the lock as he turned around to the door again, and then he pocketed it afterwards before looking to his fiancee once more. Hope could easily knock the door down if she really wanted to get out there and demand to know what was going on, but all in all Wyatt was fairly confident that she didn't want to break the door to their house, and he was also rather certain that she hadn't yet been given reason enough to be majorly concerned. He made sure to put up a block in his mind, knowing she would be likely to lurk through his thoughts to try and get some information on what was happening.

"Just a little business," he told her easily, the deflection slipping from his tongue smoothly, "the usual. Nothing to worry about." Wyatt flashed her a smile and leaned forward, kissing her cheek, moving onto a diversion before she had the chance to ask questions. "How are my babies?" He asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and walking her into the living room with him.

Hope opened her mouth to speak and then abruptly closed it. She frowned and screwed her mouth up a little as she glanced over her shoulder towards the window again. Something didn't sit well with her about this. She knew Wyatt very very well, and there was just that very subtle sign of him lying. She turned back to examine him, but his exterior was as cool as usual, so she sighed and let it go,

"The babies are fine. I left the foxes with them upstairs." She murmured distractedly, leaning in to him a little as they walked. Hope guessed he was leading her upstairs to see them, and she was right, she perked up a little and once they were back in the twins' room, she scooped up Jakobe to give him a cuddle. He was the only one awake. The foxes, of course, started clamouring for her attention, winding their way around her calves.

Wyatt smiled a little at his lover, before he frowned at the mention of the foxes. He knew they were just parts of Hope's own soul, but he still couldn't get used to it yet; seeing physical manifestations of his fiancee's inner-self was weird, and it was really hard to remember that they weren't actual pet foxes clamouring for her attention. He scowled slightly as they entered the twins' bedroom, grumbling under his breath as the foxes started wrapping themselves around Hope's calves and brushing their bushy spirit tails up against her legs. He awkwardly scooted away from them, giving them a dirty look, unable to help himself - it was a completely involuntary reaction. He really did need to get used to them: it just seemed impossible to do so at the minute.

Hayley swallowed the lump in her throat, she let her gaze follow after Wyatt before she was flashed away from the house. She squeezed her eyes shut when Klaus yelled, balling up her hands into fists before staring up at him. "I had to leave," she says pushing him back, "I didn't want to leave, but it was the only way to protect the family. Davina had me as her lapdog when I was here, you know this.. she broke the curse that you placed on me! I thought I only agreed to protect her, but I was wrong." she says, her voice cracking a little as she looked down. "She fixed the dagger Kol and her made to put you in a coffin, she was pressuring me into using it against you then tossing your coffin in the middle of the ocean," she said truthfully.

Hayley turned away from him, placing a hand on her forehead "I wrote letters to Elijah and you every day, I thought they were being sent, but they weren't... Jackson didn't send them, he burned the letters along with help from his grandmother" she said. She turned back around, tears falling down her cheeks as she shook her head. "I didn't hear about Hope returning home until a few days ago. Jackson kept that from me, I didn't abandon her not willingly." She took a step closer towards Klaus. "If you don't believe me then let me show you my memories how Jackson kept me away from her. But if you're going to kill me do it already. Because I can't go another year without my daughter. I'd rather be dead than be without her in my life."

Hope huffed and handed Jakobe to Wyatt, bending down to scoop up the foxes, one in each arm, and turned towards the window in the twins' room, squinting out of it. Whoever it was that Klaus was dealing with was now very upset. This was clear because the scent was suddenly stronger. Hope sighed in frustration, still not able to put her finger on how she knew that scent. She made a short contemplative sound, and then swivelled back to Wyatt, her expression curious once more,

"Who's that out there? Do we know them?" She asked, glancing over to Cassia as the small baby woke up and stirred in the cot. Hope promptly put the foxes down and scooped her daughter up instead, holding her to her chest.

Klaus clenched his jaw, his lips sealed tight as his eyes went wide at Hayley's words, he felt tears begin to sting his blue eyes, his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, shaking his head even more, the tears falling off to the side. He wasn't crying for Hayley's story, not matter how harsh that may have sounded, she wasn't his concern. His tears were for Hope. Everything coming from Hayley's mouth he wanted to believe was yet another lie she would tell to just regain his trust because she knew she wouldn't see Hope without it. A hand came up and he ran it through his curls, pulling on the ends and walking in a small circle before turning around and facing Hayley once again,

"Lies, lies and more lies!" he yelled, the bids flying off the tops of the trees. He wanted to believe her, but he couldn't have Hope get hurt like that, he couldn't have Hayley walk into Hope's life just to walk back out once the time seemed fitting. After finally taking a breath and relaxing himself, Klaus looked over at Hayley, the tears almost done, "How do I know you just won't hurt her? Huh? How do I know you won't run off with her like you once tried. You are not taking my daughter from me! I refuse to let you take the only constant joy in my life away-from-me," between each word as is sentence came to an end, he breathed in deeply and his voice grew louder and louder.

Hayley blinked back more of tears while shaking her head. "Our daughter, Klaus," she said stepping towards him, "I won't hurt our daughter. I can't. She is the only thing in my life that has ever meant anything, the one thing that I would die for. I don't want to take her away, I just want the family I left behind back. I know it will take some time, but I'm not lying." she says. She stood in front of him, her green eyes staring into his, "Let me show you that I didn't want to leave twenty-one years ago. That I didn't know about her coming back." She pleaded.

She let out a deep breath, before placing her hand on his cheek wiping the tears away, once she made contact she pulled him into her thoughts. She screwed her eyes shut as she took him back twenty-one years ago to the day that Davina told her to put down Klaus. She held her breath, as she pushed the memories of her writing each and every day for the past two decades to Klaus, how Jackson burnt the letters. She felt a burning sensation as tears began to build. She felt a burning sensation as tears began to build up, pushing against her closed eyelids. She took him to the last memory she had of Jackson: the night she killed him after he confessed to burning the letters, and keeping the fact Hope returned to Klaus a year ago.

Wyatt took Jakobe with no complaint, scooping his baby boy into his arms and cradling him to his chest. He eyed the foxes in her arms with a mildly irritated look, though managed to snap himself out of it. They were her. They were her. They were literally her. They were just Hope's soul in physical forms. That was all. Wyatt squinted. Her soul just couldn't have manifested itself into different forms, could it? Why not cats? Wyatt could tolerate cats. They were simple, didn't fuss, only had their own agendas in mind, rarely bothered you, and they didn't malt anywhere near as much as hound-types. The vampire was snapped out of his brooding by Hope's questioning. Wyatt glanced over to her and shook his head - which, technically, wasn't a lie. He didn't know Hayley personally, he only knew of her. Hope didn't really know her mother, either; the she-wolf had left before Hope was old enough to retain proper memories and details of her.

"No, they're an old... friend, of sorts. Klaus' involvement; nothing of mine or yours. I wasn't on the scene when he was associating himself with them."

Hope pursed her lips and nodded as if in contemplation, she wriggled her nose again, looking more annoyed now,

"I just... I know that scent. I recognise it." She expressed her confusion and slight frustration, keeping her voice quiet so as to not disturb Cassia. She sighed and shook her head, balancing her daughter on her hip now that she was more awake. Hope gave her a smile and cooed at her, allowing her to tug on her hair for a little bit before tying it up hastily, with the hand she had free. Hope huffed and shook her head vaguely, edging around Wyatt and leaving the room again, heading back downstairs. She glanced towards the door and her curiosity must have been more prominent in her subconscious, as her two little foxes were already sat at the door, sniffing at it, cocking their heads. Hope gave them a puzzled look and then set Cassia down on the little playmat in the front room. Hope ventured over to the door and went to open it to try and see what the foxes were so interested in, but found that it was locked. She tried again and then let go and turned to face Wyatt,

"Did you lock this door?" She asked, genuinely confused. She didn't see why he would, but who else would have?

Wyatt nodded a little at Hope as she spoke and shrugged his shoulders, lips pursed a little as he eyed her.

"Maybe Klaus had them over once," he told her with a small shrug, before glancing down at his son in his arms. He furrowed his brow and pursed his lips fully, pulling a funny face at the little tribrid. Jakobe made amused-sounding babbles, reaching up and grabbing at Wyatt's face; the vampire stuck his tongue out a little before grinning and nuzzling his nose gently against Jakobe's temple. He glanced up as Hope left the room and followed her out, propping his son onto his hip. Wyatt sighed a little as he got downstairs and saw Hope testing the door handle, shaking his head tiresomely.

"I did," he answered his fiancee as she turned to face him. "Klaus said to make sure he wasn't disturbed, and you're nothing if not constantly curious." Wyatt shrugged his shoulders once again before moving into the kitchen and sitting Jakobe in his high chair, letting the fast-growing infant grip onto his finger for a moment before going and looking through the cupboards.

"C'mon," Wyatt called to Hope, trying to distract her. "We can make pancakes for us and the kids."

Hope frowned at that, and glared down at the foxes, following Wyatt into the kitchen, perking up at the prospect of pancakes; her one constant weakness. She pointed back at the foxes as they followed her and looked to Wyatt,

"They made me do it. They were being all creepy and horror film-like." She complained lightly, and huffed, throwing a scowl at the foxes, shaking her head at them as they tried to make it up to her by rubbing around her ankles. Hope narrowed her eyes at them and they both trotted them out of the kitchen as if she'd banished them (which she had). Hope sighed lightly and went back out to get Cassia, and then made her way back into the kitchen and strapped the little one into her highchair, next to her brother. It was adorable how delighted the twins looked to be reunited again, and they babbled happily at each other. The presence of the other twin seemed to distract both of them from Hope sufficiently enough for her to slip away and join Wyatt, hopping up to sit on the counter beside him.

Wyatt, for his part, had been leaning back against the counter with his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest, an eyebrow arched as he cocked his head ever-so-slightly to the left, eyeing Hope with a bemused look, one that spoke volumes - mostly sarcasm and incredulity.

"They're parts of me, she says, they're literally just my soul," he mocked in a higher pitch than his usual voice, before giving Hope a pointed look as she turned to him. "How can you be mad at me for not liking those little fox things rubbing up all around you and struggling to remember that they're parts of you, when you literally just scolded them like pets?" He huffed, and there was perhaps a slight pout on his face as he pushed away from the counter, sulky, and set about grabbing the necessary ingredients and utensils required for making the pancakes, as well as some syrups, sweets and juices to work as toppings.

Hope crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at her fiance,

"Excuse me, sir. I have never been mad at you for disliking them, I've only ever raised the question of why." She stated calmly, glancing down to her jeans, brushing off a stray hair from her leg, and then looked back up to him, raising her eyebrows, "Don't get all sulky, your pouty lips are very attractive and I don't want to distract you from your cooking." She commented, an amused undertone to her voice. She smirked lightly and feigned ignorance when he looked at her, crossing one leg over the other, pretending to be focused on her nails all of a sudden, eyebrows still raised, innocence being the key theme here. She let out a miniscule snort when she couldn't keep up the pretense any longer, and returned to her original position, hands braced either side of her on the counter, her fingers drumming lightly on the surface, legs swinging casually.

Wyatt scowled at Hope a little over his shoulder as she denied ever getting mad at him - though, truth be told, perhaps he had exaggerated that part just a little bit. Still, though. He huffed and shook his head as he grabbed the mixing bowl and began pouring memorized quantities of ingredients into it, grabbing the whisk and beginning to beat the mixture as he poured in the milk, tongue peeking out from the corner of his mouth ever-so-slightly as he focused on avoiding letting the mixture form lumps. He did so efficiently, despite being momentarily distracted by Hope's comment on his attractiveness, arching an eyebrow at her from over his shoulder, rolling his eyes at her failed attempt to appear innocent. He scoffed and shook his head as he turned around again, though he was pleased to note that he'd succeeded in sufficiently distracting her. He poured a couple of drops of olive oil into the frying pan as it warmed on the hob, and turned around to Hope with an arched eyebrow.

"Should we add fruit? Like, when they're done? Sound good?" He questioned her, opening the fridge and gesturing towards the tub of freshly picked berries from the garden.

Hope had teleported her book to her from wherever it was she'd left it (she didn't recall ever putting it down, but apparently she had) and was now very much involved in reading it, and so she simply held up a peace sign and nodded without ever answering him verbally. She glanced up briefly to make sure he'd taken note of her gesture, and then lowered her hand, holding her book with both hands once again. Hope bit down on her lip and opened the fridge without looking or gesturing at it, and floated a small bowl of washed cherries she'd left in there, her favourite fruit, and began to eat them, managing to flick the little stone and stem of each one directly into the bin on the other side of the kitchen with perfect aim without ever having to look or judge the distance. The babies found much joy and amusement in this and would squeal and wriggle and babble about everytime she did this. Hope grinned at them each time, and gave them a little wink every now and then.

Wyatt nodded a little with a small hum and grabbed a spatula from the cutlery drawer, flipping it in his hand and grasping the handle in his palm, using it to keep the pancakes in the shape he wanted them to be in, more or less perfectly circular. He grabbed the handle of the frying pan once the first pancake had a more or less solidity to it, and flipped it up in the air, the pancake doing a full rotation before landing perfectly on its opposite side in the pan again. Wyatt did a smug little head bob, a self-satisfied smirk on his face at the little zing of accomplishment that panged lightly in his stomach. He hummed out a small little tune under his breath as he worked, grabbing a plate he'd previously warmed in the microwave and setting it out to stack the pancakes on. He slid the now-fully cooked pancake onto the plate and set about making more, and when he finished them all, he grabbed a handful of cherries and halved them, de-stoning them, and scattered them over the stack, along with a fair sprinkling of lemon juice and sugar. He spun around and placed the stack on the table. He'd also made a smaller stack specific for the babies, drizzling them with unsweetened fruit yoghurt.

"Bon appetite," he mused, setting appropriate cutlery down at the table alongside plates and napkins.

Klaus inhaled sharply as Hayley shared all the memories from the last 22 years, memories rapidly being fired into his mind for him to now hold the important information, but there was still something in him that didn't want to believe her. Maybe it was the fact that he himself had just gotten Hope back and he didn't want to share her, he had trouble with Wyatt, another male figure in her life, despite if it was paternal or not, but now Hayley? Another parental figure? It scared him most solely on the fact that he knew how close he and Hope had gotten, all she had ever wanted was her parents, she had one, but now the other, would he lose her? He knew that he would never genuinely lose her, she was the only loyal one to him out of his entire family, the only Mikaelson who always stood by his side even in his darkest of day, or weeks...sometimes even months.

"Stop it," he breathed out, pushing her away from him to give himself room to breathe and room to think, he had to weigh out the options. He knew what he had to do, it was a terrifying thought, it hadn't been her fault, but if she had listened to him when he told her not to marry him, they wouldn't be in this situation, they could have been an actual functioning family, but no. Nevertheless, he had to push his feelings aside and think about what was best for Hope. This was what was best for Hope, "Clean yourself off and follow me," he finally coughed out, walking back towards the house with a soft look on his face, coming to the front door with Hayley and walking slowly inside, "Stay here and wait for me to call you in," he slowly walked into the kitchen and watched as Hope and Wyatt finished up their meal, rubbing his hands on his jeans, "Hope..."

Hayley paced back and fourth, her fingers gently drumming up against her leg. She knew Klaus feared that he would lose Hope but in the last twenty-two years she grew to miss the family she once knew:the father of her child, the noble man who promised he'd always protect her from day one and the women who helped protect and raise her daughter but she didn't miss them as much as she did the little girl that she carried for nearly nine months inside of her. Hayley turned to face the door once she caught a whiff of the scent she once knew the scent that belonged to her daughter.

She gently placed her hand on the door, swallowing the lump in her throat. She focused the sounds, and the smells that echoed around the house. She closed her eyes, a million thoughts seemingly racing through her head. She stepped back to lean against the side of the house knowing that after another year of Hayley being absent in her life that it will take a while for Hope to forgive her.

Hope glanced up from her pancakes, unsuspecting of anything weird going on until she caught that oh so familiar scent once again,

"Yes, father?" She asked casually, and then frowned ever so slightly as the scent caught her attention again. She really just couldn't shift that feeling that she really did know that scent, and not from someone she'd met in passing, as Wyatt had suggested, it was much closer to home than that, she was sure. Hope tilted her head and focused suddenly on the door, just past the twins. She made an uncertain kind of humming noise, and was filled all of a sudden with the feeling that something big was about to happen, she fidgeted about a little in her chair and glanced back to Wyatt. Did he know what was going on? She sighed. He was Wyatt; of course he did. So, it had been another one of those 'distract Hope until we're ready to reveal something huge to her, probably about her own life' situations. She couldn't blame them. They always acted in her best interests. She just had to trust them.

Wyatt was chewing a mouthful of pancakes as he fed manageable forkfuls of the twins' pancakes to each of them, when he heard Klaus approaching the house, along with the scent and sounds of the she-wolf following close behind him. She-wolf. He probably needed to stop referring to her in that way, even in his own mind. Hope's mother. That was Hope's absentee mother. It didn't sit right with him, but this had nothing to do with Wyatt, really, so he'd stomach it the best he could. He stiffened a little when Klaus entered the kitchen and called to Hope, meeting her eyes when she glanced over to him. She had a suspicious look that transformed into one of knowing as he regarded her, and he merely shrugged a little in response to her thoughts, offering her the slightest of smiles, finishing up on feeding the twins their pancakes. He'd intervene if he was needed; for now, he'd simply let the three of them attend to their interpersonal affairs and attend to his children. Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at an apprehensive looking Niklaus, then back to a seemingly tense Hope. He frowned a little and focused on the babies instead.

Klaus stepped closer to Hope, his steps slower and slower as he finally closed in on her, giving his hands one last swipe on the back of his jeans, standing beside her and placing his hands over hers, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles as he always did, to relax her even though she didn't know what was about to happen. The look on her face was just innocent, so curious, she was a curious one, just like her mother, he saw a lot in her that her mother had, the few good qualities her mother did have were all reflected whenever he talked to Hope. They made facial expressions that were identical, it scared him half to death, she had her mother's temper, one that could change at any moment, much like his own, but more- something, more Hayley. The air of them had the exact same pregnant walk and pregnant cravings, another headache for him to live, but worth it all,

"I have something to tell you...well, something to show you," he spoke low and with a precise and fluid movement of his lips, "Your mother is back and she is here in the house with us," he finally spat out. He turned his body to face the little walkway into the kitchen, "Hayley, come in, please," he waved his hand for Hayley to come in, rubbing his hand on Hope's back.

Hayley took a deep breath in before she walked inside the kitchen. Her eyes never leaving Hope as she stumbled over her own two feet. She clutched her heart taking the image of the woman her daughter grew into in, tears welling up in her eyes as she stepped towards her before coming to a halt. She thought of this moment many times in the past twenty-two years, but she never expected that she would be at a loss for words. Her daughter: she was the most gorgeous creature she had ever laid her eyes on, the one that still fully had her heart, the person that never left her mind, the little girl she carried inside of her, her Hope. She let her teary green eyes tear away from Hope to find Wyatt next to two little babies that looked like a perfect mixture of Wyatt and Hope, she turned her head back to her daughter, realizing that she missed a lot over the past year.

Hope blinked and allowed herself a moment to register what Klaus had said, and then her eyes widened as Hayley took a step into the room. Hope immediately blurred back and collided with a counter in her panic, she hissed and clenched her teeth, waiting for her fasting healing to kick in and sort her back out before straightening out. She then began to look about the kitchen for a way to escape the room, her flight instincts were going haywire, and she felt like she was suffocating under the feeling of being trapped. She gave up and looked towards Klaus and Hayley reproachfully,

"How could you- This is supposed to be my decision." She said, her voice was full of raw emotion and suffering, and then she became marginally calmer, as an idea came to her. It was not a pleasant one, but it was one that would get her out of there. She could teleport, like she had when Adelaide was stalking her. It had caused her to faint the last time, but she was pretty sure Wyatt was the only one who knew she could do it. Wyatt. He would be the only one able to stop her if she did try to teleport. He would be able to see what she was planning in her mind, and he hadn't said anything yet, he was just watching her. Hope averted her gaze to be locked on his, pleadingly, hoping he would help her and not move to stop her. She shifted a little in her stance and waited for a sign from Wyatt. Was he going to stop her or assist her?

Klaus closed his eyes tight, and clenched his jaw together, he knew he should have waited, but he was glad he didn't, one less secret for him to keep, he didn't like to keep secrets from her. He didn't know what she was planning to do, but he could tell she didn't want to be in the room and she was looking for an escape, he didn't want her to go, but if she truly wanted to leave, he'd escort her to wherever she wanted to go himself. Klaus stepped back with her, moving his arm behind her and rubbing the spot she had hurt, even though it might have been healed at this time, stepping closer to her, showing that he would be dictating this conversation if it were going to happen,

"Hope, if you truly want to leave, tell me where and I'll take you myself, no questions asked," he turned his head to view Hayley and watch the strain on her face, the tears rolling down her face, he didn't care. It wasn't what she wanted or how badly she yearned for Hope to be in her life, it was about Hope, "But, if you give Hay-" he stopped himself, "Your mother the chance just as you did me, we could come to some sort of understanding."

Hayley didn't say anything, she wasn't going to push Hope into anything she didn't want to. She just wanted to see her daughter, be in the same room with her just for today: It wouldn't be a matter of seconds that the fixed the problem and Hayley were welcomed with open arms and Hayley knew that. She inhaled sharply before lifting her arms and wiping the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt. Hayley couldn't form any words at the moment it seemed, she couldn't take back what had kept her from returning from another year, she could only just show her the truth like did Klaus.

She shifted on her feet her a little, her fingers tapping against her legs as she watched Hope, she could almost feel Hope's emotions: She felt trapped, it was Hayley's fault for not calling, but she couldn't handle being able to see her daughter, she let her green eyes follow Hope's glance at Wyatt, she swallowed the lump in her throat closing her eyes for a second before looking towards Klaus.

Wyatt watched Hope as she slammed back into the kitchen, conscious of the twins picking up on her distress. He brushed his fingers over their chubby cheeks and soothed them a little, 'til they were completely settled, placing the rest of their pancakes in front of them - not that there was much left on either plate - so that they could feed themselves. Albeit, messily - but they fed all the same. He shifted around in his chair and watched Hope steadily, eyes scanning over her form, gaze calculative as he peered into her mind and got a read on what she was thinking. She returned his look and gave him a pleading look, evidently not wanting to be there. Wyatt glanced over at Klaus, then looked to Hayley, who was already eyeing him. He arched an eyebrow slightly as she averted her gaze to Klaus, and Wyatt looked back at his fiancee instead. "This is supposed to be my decision," she'd choked out, and Wyatt licked his lips contemplatively, a small furrow to his brow. Somehow, he'd become the core to her decision - or that's how it appeared, anyway. He looked into Hope's eyes, holding her gaze for a moment longer, before flashing over to her and whisking her out into the woods, though not far from the house. He'd talk to her at a distance enough away that no one would hear them, but close enough that they could easily be found and easily return. He didn't want her to make an impulsive decision. This was her mother.

"Think about this," Wyatt said, tone holding authority yet remaining calm. "If you really want to get away for the night, then we'll go," he told her easily, cupping her cheeks and making her look him in the eyes, "but just think about this for a moment. Nik couldn't help that your mother decided to show up of her own accord, now could he? Your father didn't want to keep this a secret from you, Hope. So just think about this. It's a surprise, and it's overwhelming, but take a moment. Do you really want to run tonight? Isn't it always you telling me to face my problems rather than run away from them?"

Hope made a small noise of protest but then sighed and forced herself to look back at him, eyes flitting between looking into either of his,

"I wasn't ready- There was no warning-" She began, and then realised that she was too worked up to speak about this rationally, and so she closed her eyes for a minute and exhaled slowly through her mouth, leaning her forehead against his for comfort. She was a lot calmer when she opened her eyes again, although she looked worried, "I scared the babies, didn't I?" She whispered, miserably. She closed her eyes again and then set her expression and tone into one of some sort of mix between indecision and determination, "I don't really blame him. I don't want to run, not really. I just had to get out of that room, you know?" She explained quietly, wrapping her arms around his waist tentatively, "You're right, as usual. I have to face this." She sighed and then paused to look at him for a fraction of a second longer, and then nodded.

Wyatt closed his eyes as Hope rested her forehead against his, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her a little closer to him, holding her steady, using his proximity as a way to better anchor her. He nodded a little in understanding as she spoke, showing that he was listening to her. He frowned and shook his head softly when she whispered about the babies, pressing his lips to her cheek for a moment, kissing it softly, before returning to his previous position, the pair's heads rested gently against the other's.

"You didn't scare them, they were just a little startled. They're fine," he assured her. He made a noise of understanding when she explained her desire to leave the room, opening his eyes again and glancing down at her, meeting her gaze. "We can go back in whenever you're ready," he told her softly, giving her a small, reassuring smile as he did so, linking his fingers at the small of her back, simply resting his hands there.

Hope allowed them a few more minutes alone before she moved up slightly in order to press a kiss to his lips, conveying her gratitude through the motion, and then sighed lightly, taking his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. She took a moment to close her eyes, and exhale once again, and then smiled at him, and he zoomed them back into the kitchen. She kept his hand in hers, needing him as the anchor that he was for her, and leaned against him a little bit,

"Okay, I'm sorry for before. Please, explain." She spoke to Hayley and Klaus, her heartbeat accelerating noticeably in her chest, though it didn't bother her, she was sure it was understandable, under the circumstances. Hope couldn't help the sting and the hurt that came with everytime she looked at Hayley, and so averted her stare to the floor, shifting about uncomfortably, misery hanging over her. She had so many questions, but she also didn't want to know the answers, she was fairly sure it wouldn't make anything all that much better.


	16. Sixteen: Amnesia

Hope had been about to step up onto the first step of the porch leading into the house, when a strong pair of arms snaked their way around her waist, and she was yawnked backwards, spun around, and was presented with a weirdly well dressed man. The intensity that he was looking down at her with was almost alarming, it was so strong, and before she had time to react, a hand was clamped down on and held firmly over her mouth. She began to thrash about and scream, but he must have been a warlock, as no-one could hear her. Hope tried to free herself from his grip and hit out at him, but to no avail. The witches must have come for her. It was true that she was in a considerably weakened state after the arrival of the twins, and so it seemed the time had come for the coven to make their move. Hope felt darkness descending upon her, when she woke, she was in a dimly lit basement, in a cage of all things, that was decorated with what looked like to be the entire contents of a living room, and adjacent to it, a bath, a toilet, a sink, and a bed. It had been set up for her to spend a long time there, it seemed. She crouched down behind the sofa, as it was the only cover she had and began to cry - she was weak and helpless and bait.

Wyatt had been going out of his mind with worry for the past few hours. Hope had been due to get home earlier this afternoon, but now, as evening settled in, the sun beginning to set, Wyatt was getting worried. His fiancee hadn't returned home to him yet. He bit down at his nails, only to find that he'd pretty much chewed them all away. With an aggravated sigh, Wyatt slammed his way through the house and had Nik look after the kids, grabbing his leather jacket from the coat hangers in the hallway and stalking out of the house. He glanced around the street, wondering where he should be starting, where he should look to find her. Eventually, Wyatt settled on the notion that anywhere was as good as anything at this point. He had no clue where she could be. All he knew was that there were witches after her, and now there was a clenching feeling within his stomach that screamed at him that he should have gone looking for her the first instant he began to get nervous about her whereabouts. He'd been trying to tone it down on the overprotective urges so as not to smother her, but now he was firmly set on finding her, deciding that being overprotective of her and making her feel a little claustrophobic was better than losing her altogether.

Hope had somehow drifted off to sleep in her spot behind the sofa, in the corner, and she was awoken by a pure and powerful feeling of being watched. Her eyes flew open and she scrambled to get up into a defensive position, her top had rode up and so her back had been pressed lightly against the cold stone wall, and she shivered. The thing was, she wasn't sure if it was the cool stone that had caused her to do so, or that horrifying paranoid feeling she'd woken up with that made her skin crawl, and caused her eyes to dart around. She got up onto her knees and brushed herself off. Hope suddenly blurred over to the other side of the cage and came face to face with the same guy who had kidnapped her, and had apparently been watching her sleep - and without a single word spoken, he unlocked the door to the cage, and Hope had been about to attempt to overwhelm him, when he'd raised his hand, and for the first time in her life, Hope had been hit with an aneurysm. She fell to the floor in agony. What had they done to her? She felt like she had blinked, and suddenly she was locked down in a chair, and her skin was crawling in that same way as before, and then she felt his presence behind her, and she shuddered once again, as she sensed his hands slowly making their way towards her head, and when they finally reached it and settled there, she actually whimpered a little. She was so uncomfortable she was practically in pain due to it, and she could feel the tears falling, though she was so focused on whatever it was the warlock was doing to her, that she couldn't sense them falling down her cheeks. He murmured something to her, but... she didn't hear it. She couldn't. There was now a strange high pitched noise echoing through her mind, resounding through and within her. Her eyes widened for a split second, and then it was all gone. Who was... Where was she? What-

Wyatt searched through various locations that he'd known Hope to go to, before he started to scope out cliche kidnap spots. Often, the villains of these towns chose the most obvious, story-book/movie locations because people tended to fall for the illusion that real life mimicked nothing of the sort. So Wyatt checked out the abandoned factories and warehouses, 'til eventually he thought to look for basements too. Reluctantly, having to pause for a moment, he scoured the landmark of the old church that his brother had been burned in along with the other vampires back in 1864. He was relieved to find no trace of her, however. Frustrated, Wyatt broke out into a vampire sprint and arrived within the town centre in a split second. He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale through his nose, exhaling through his mouth, before he shut out all the sounds around him and focused, using his mental abilities to try and listen for her thoughts, to try and find her. Surprisingly, it didn't take him all that long; he latched onto her thoughts within minutes, them being loud and distressed - a feat which only served to make him all the more angrier. He flashed over to the entrance to the old cellar where he'd been informed by his nephews that the council had tried to murder the town vampires via a huge fire and broke down the entrance which had been boarded up with chains and locks. He could scent the vile stench of black magic in the air and was surprised that they hadn't spelled the door, but he didn't care. They were idiots in the first place if they thought that kidnapping Hope, his fiancee and the tribrid daughter of the original hybrid, was in any way a smart idea - the lack of spell on the entrance further served to prove this point. He slammed his way down into the room, searching her out in the dark.

Hope had been undressed and put in the bath after... what? She couldn't finish that thought. She knew something had happened to her, and that she'd been scared and that now she was confused, but she... She had no idea what had happened. There was a blank space in her mind where the memory should have been, but that didn't surprise her at all, as she could barely remember the definition of a memory. She had none left. They were all gone. Hope wasn't sure exactly how or when she had done this, but she had managed to snatch and keep a small knife, albeit a blunt one, and keep it with her, even in her naked state, she had managed to conceal it below the water somehow. Luckily, her captors seemed to respect her privacy, for some reason, and so had allowed her the time to bathe and calm down, after the hysterics the- the thing had caused her to break down into. She was just so confused. Her mind was insanely busy, but at the same time was alarmingly empty, and she felt like she was in this constant downwards spiral, that never ended, she had no closure, but also no beginning. She was just stuck. She glanced up in a mixture of horror and relief at the sound of things breaking and people shouting, keeping her small little knife clenched tightly within her grip, and she waited.

Wyatt had clearly neglected to think of people being within the building, but he didn't particularly find fighting off these witches a task. They may have had their magic, but he had his own little mind tricks and his strength and agility on top of that. One of the warlocks made a grab at his mind, and Wyatt hissed and fell to his knees, but he soon escaped it when he threw up a mental block. He made quick work of fucking with Hope's captors, before he flashed around the walls in the shadows fast enough to make them dizzy and confused, and then snapped their necks one by one, until every last witch in the place was dead. Just to make sure, he ripped their hearts out and shoved them down each of their throats, proceeding to rip off their heads. His rage had encompassed him and gotten the best of him, pushing him further; he wasn't done mangling their corpses yet, and he wanted to leave a little message for any little witch tribes that might come to find them. Limbs were torn away from torsos, blood flooded the floors, organs were shredded over the walls, and Wyatt found a perverse amount of satisfaction from stripping their skin and laying it in patterns across their skeletons as if they were morbid figurines of art. He almost felt like Hannibal, but didn't care to ponder on the idea. Eventually, he was satisfied with the horrific, gory mess he'd created, and he dipped his fingers in the blood on the floor, finding a patch of wall that hadn't been overly covered. On it, with the mixture of witch and warlock blood, he wrote a warning: So be it that this will happen unto all of your friends and family, unless you leave us alone. Wyatt stood back and admired his work, the messy letters dripping down the wall, before he turned on his heels and surveyed the cellar. There was an overwhelming stench, and even he himself had to suppress the urge to gag over the sight of it. It was as if a rabid wolf had been and ravaged their bodies without eating a single part, leaving the pieces in patterns, giving an eerier feel to the scene. He scoffed a little and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, getting rid of the mangled flesh on his chin. Hope was going to be horrified, but it didn't matter to him. He could sense that she was injured, and they'd taken her from him. He could have lost her and that was not okay by him. No, they deserved to have their bodies torn apart so gruesomely. He would have done more if he could.

Hope was trembling from within the confines of her bathtub, the water was now cold, and she was curled up right at the very end, near the tap, not caring that it was digging into her back. Her eyes were wide and her hand was still gripping worryingly tightly to her knife, although, now that she'd thought about it, she glanced down, and the metal was now mangled in her hand. She frowned. How had she done that? No-one was that strong, surely- It only served to freak her out even more than before, and so, in one harsh motion, she unclenched the rigid position her hand had been stuck in, and dropped the mangled former knife on the floor, hearing it clatter as it hit the outside area. She curled her arms around herself, and whimpered once again, sinking low into the water until her mouth was just above the water. She knew that logically the water wouldn't protect her from whatever it was that was causing absolute chaos and carnage out there, but it gave her mind the illusion that it would, and that would have to be enough. Hope had no choice but to sit there and wait for whatever fate had planned for her... whoever she was. Whatever was coming.

Wyatt glanced around the place, before he locked down on Hope's exact location within the cellar. He stormed over to the door, finding a large metal sort of industrial door. He kicked it once, twice, three times, to no avail. With an aggravated growl, Wyatt took a few large strides backwards, before he ran forward at full speed and force, leaping into the air and kicking it at its hinges with both feet at full force. The door broke inwards, despite not falling down. It got him in anyway. He crumpled onto the ground for a landing, the shock of the force shooting through his legs and having him grit his teeth and clench his jaw as the pain traveled through his body. It healed quickly enough anyway, and he soon sprung back onto his feet. There was a piercing sort of brightness within this room, a very clinical feel to it. He glanced over and saw Hope in the bath, looking vulnerable and scared. He cringed at the fact she was naked, feeling entirely uncomfortable laying eyes on her revealed body in such a context. He searched the room 'til he found a single towel, taking it over to her and bending down, resting his arms on the bathtub. The blood on his hands had already dried, and he kept the towel away from his clothes.

"Hi, princess," he whispered, eyes scanning over her body. There was no visible damage, but he had a feeling she was more hurt than she appeared. "I'm taking you home now, okay, bella?"

Hope recoiled in absolute horror at the sudden chaos infront of her. It had finally reached her, bringing destruction with it. Beginning with the door, apparently. She uncurled back to her normal position and watched the man on the floor with a strange kind of fascination, eyes wide and unfathomable. He was screaming in silent pain, and she felt as if it should have affected her, but... She didn't know him. She shied away from him the closer he got, and moved her arms to cover more of her body as his eyes roamed her, no matter how genuinely loving and concerned his gaze was, it was still the gaze of a stranger. Hope could feel a crease appear in her brow as he addressed her, she shook her head slowly. Who was this guy? Why was he- Who was- What? She sniffed lightly, and felt the tears starting to flow again. She was scared now. She didn't know him. But she didn't feel as if he would hurt her, not in accordance to the way he was holding himself around her, the way he was looking at her, talking to her... Hope noted also that although his face freaked her out, it didn't make her skin crawl, so... There must be some part of her somewhere that did trust him. She bit down harshly on her lip and glanced around, judging her options. She eventually came to the conclusion that the terrifying, beautiful man infront of her was her only means of escape, and continued safety, and so, still shaking and trembling, she got to her feet, stepped into the towel, and allowed him to carry her.

Wyatt frowned at the uncertainty and fear in Hope's gaze, recognizing Hope's lack of awareness of who he was or what he was doing there instantly for what it was. Of course. Fucking witches. Wyatt refrained from letting his anger show, instead wrapping her up in the towel and cradling her in his arms bridal style. He rose to his feet and stood up straight, turning on his heels and heading for the door.

"I know you're not sure who I am right now," he told her gently, pausing at the broken threshold, "but believe me, you trust me a lot. Now you're going to want to trust me when I tell you to close your eyes, because it's not pretty out there." Whether she would listen to him or not, he didn't know; but Wyatt only wanted to get her out of there, so as soon as he'd finished speaking he stepped out into the main area of the cellar and carefully navigated his way through the mess of bodies piled haphazardly around the place - well, thrown, really: not piled. When he reached the bottom of the stair well, he paused for a moment, glancing at Hope's towel-covered body, noting the Autumn chill outside, but he knew there was no way to cover her up, so he simply took off in a rush, and was fast enough to arrive back at the Mikaelson manner in mere seconds. He quickly took her inside, locking the door behind the two of them quietly so as not to wake up or alarm the twins.

Hope watched him uncertainly as he talked, quickly becoming mesmerised with the way he spoke. She nodded vacantly, and obediently closed her eyes, hiding her face in his chest, and cut off the senses around her nose. She held herself this way until the cool air attacked her wet skin, and she hissed at the unexpected sensation, brought her head back up. Before she had time to act and warm herself up, the strange yet friendly man was blurring into motion. She clung to him, terrified for her life. How was that even possible? How could humans- Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe they'd done something to her, and now she was crazy? She scampered away from him as soon as he set her down, clutching at her towel. She glanced around her in terror, realising she was now trapped and that he had locked the door. She looked back to him and gulped, beginning to back away slowly. Hope hadn't spoken in what felt like a century, and yet she was too scared to do so. She didn't know what she would even say. Wyatt paused in his place and eyed Hope critically for a moment. She was completely freaked, as if she'd only just been birthed and she had never experienced anything before. It was like she was a newborn that'd been thrown into a world of terror in mere minutes. Wyatt frowned, licking his lips as he took on an expression of deep concentration. It was as if she didn't know who she herself was, let alone who he was. Sighing, he shook his head a little and nodded towards the stairs.

"C'mon," he ordered her, a commanding tone to his voice that asserted authority and demanded compliance without being aggressive or scary. "Let's get you some clothes."

Hope eyed him warily, and went to the effort of clearing her throat, preparing herself to speak up,

"Who am I?" She asked in a hushed whisper, tone a little desperate, sounding almost as if she were begging him for the answers she suspected he had. She took a deep breath and then forced herself to take a risk, and shuffled over to him, holding a hand out to request his help up the stairs. It was weird, how she kept shifting between being in a state, almost, of auto-pilot, and terrified confusion. She frowned to herself and then sighed, putting a hand to her temple, the confusion was causing her head to pound. She made sure to keep one hand on her towel, keeping it there.

Wyatt eyed her closely, before taking her hand in his; he didn't lace their fingers together, not pushing his boundaries. He led her up the stairs silently, making sure she didn't stumble and fall on the way, and took her to their shared bedroom.

"Your name is Hope," he told her eventually, voice even, tone easy. "I won't load too much information on you at once, but you're twenty years old, a mother, and you're due to be married. That probably sounds like a lot to you right now, but it'll be near insignificant compared to what else I'll be telling you in the near future." He opened the bedside drawer that contained her clothes and gestured to them. "These are yours, but showering first might be a good idea," he told her evenly with a small shrug. "I'll be downstairs." With that, he left her to get sorted. Hope could only watch him as he spoke, only nodding a little as the information registered within her. There were... glimmers of things within the room that resounded within her and made sense. The name Hope... that meant something to her. She wasn't sure what, or why, but it made sense to her. It seemed to fit. She liked that name. Hope watched him leave the room, and then glanced down at her towel. She didn't need a shower. Hope didn't want to shower or bathe until tomorrow, not with the amount of time she'd spent in the bath this same day. She dropped her towel with a heavy sigh and wandered about the room, trailing her fingers lightly over the objects there. Every now and again, there would be something that caught her, and infuriated her with how familiar it was, but then again, this room was strange to her. Hope eventually came to the other drawer, the one her rescuer hadn't opened, and hummed in discovery, finding it was full of men's clothes. So, she was marrying a man. Alright. Hope frowned then and glanced down at her left hand, looking for a ring, but not finding one. She screwed her mouth up and then shook her head, making note of it and telling herself she should ask the guy later. Hope turned back to the drawers and slid the alternate one shut, she moved over to the drawer that had been proclaimed to be hers, and arranged an outfit. She arrived back downstairs moments later, fully dressed now, her hair put up in a messy bun, and found her hero in the front room. Wyatt turned on his heels as Hope returned to the living room, fully dressed at last; he took note of the messy bun she'd tied her hair into, noting that it was the way she often did her hair when she was herself. Some things are certainly more nature than nurture, he supposed. He eyed her for a moment, unable to help himself. It was weird, to see her there like that. She looked exactly as she always did, but she wasn't herself. The only thing about her that was different was what Wyatt could pick up simply because he knew her so well. The way her eyes didn't hold that mischievous spark of vitality, the way her thoughts didn't sound like her own because they were so vacant and confused. He frowned and shook his head, gesturing towards the open-plan kitchen.

"I can make you something to eat or drink, if you like," he told her with a small shrug. "You happen to really like strong coffee, and I can make you a lasagna if you're hungry, or you can just have some cereal."

Hope nodded somewhat stiffly, eyes trailing back down to her left hand, frowning still at the absence of a ring. It didn't make sense to her. She shrugged a little and then took a step towards the kitchen, following him,

"Lasagna and coffee appeals to me." She agreed in a quiet voice. Her eyes were rather wide as she took in the interior of the kitchen, another new part to this mystery house, and yet again, there aspects of it that were familiar to her, but she could neither place the reason for this recurring, nor could she further it. Hope huffed in a lightly frustrated fashion and took a seat on one of the stools, and watched him as he moved around the kitchen. Her eyes trailed to his left hand, and she sat up straighter as she spotted a ring on his ring finger. This didn't necessarily mean anything, though. It could be a coincidence.

Wyatt set about grabbing ingredients and various pots and pans to set up his station. Everything in place, he went about peeling and chopping vegetables, and then moved onto cooking once he was done with them. Every now and then he'd reach around for herbs and spices, but mostly he was still. Almost contemplatively so. With a sigh, Wyatt put everything together in the layers and then bunged the tray into the oven to bake. He turned around and began to clean off the sides, putting away scraps and utensils and what not. It were as though he was busying himself with as many possible tasks as he could before having to face the problem at hand once again. Though he knew it were impossible, there was a small part of his mind that kept wishing that if he just kept himself turned away for long enough, eventually he'd turn back and find her as her normal self, and it'd be revealed that this was all a bad dream. Sadly, that wasn't the case. He washed his hands in the sink and dried them halfheartedly on the tea towel, turning to face her as he did so. There she was, as clueless and confused as she'd been half an hour ago. He licked his lips with a sigh and turned to the kettle, grabbing two mugs and beginning on their coffees.

Something about the way he was holding himself saddened her, and she fidgeted a little on her stool, resting her chin on her hand, her elbow propped up on the table. She cocked her head, a crease in her brow as she watched him. He seemed pained. Hope opened her mouth to say something, but then realised she had no idea what to say, she didn't even know his name. She sighed lightly and slipped off the stool, wandering back into the living room, she imitated herself in the bedroom, her eyes and fingers trailing over the various aspects of the interior. She paused by the fireplace, stilling in her motions to stare at a framed printed off version of an ultrasound. She supposed these must be the children her rescuer had mentioned, and found herself to be a little awed at that proclaimed reality. She scooped the frame up and sweeped her thumb slowly across the image, her lips parting and a shaky breath escaping her as she focused on the shapes and details of the... twins? She supposed they must be twins. Her hand trembled a little as she placed the frame back on the fireplace. Hope wiped her palm on her leggings and folded her arms over her chest, trying to stabilise herself, moving away from the fireplace. Wyatt glanced over his shoulder as Hope moved about in the living room, eyes curious and fingers searching. He frowned a little as she picked up the framed ultrasound, wondering how she'd take seeing her actual children. His eyes moved to a frame that was hung above and to the side of her, next to the mirror above the fireplace, that featured himself with Hope and the twins at the birth. He was near praying that she didn't see it, as he didn't think she'd handle knowing it was him that fathered her children. After all, rescuer or not, he'd just massacred a group of witches and carried her through the macabre remains of their bodies; she may not have looked, but he knew she sensed the destruction - it was the way her nose had crinkled and she'd shrunk into his body even more so. He sighed. What would it be like for someone with no memories to learn - especially so soon - that the father of their children was a mass murdering sociopath? He shook his head. He'd save those details for now, he decided, and finished their coffees, calling her into the kitchen to distract her from the living room.

Hope had been studying her face in the mirror, a permanent bewildered look seemed to be settled on her expression, and she didn't recognise the face reflected to her. It was a very unsettling thing, looking at yourself and seeing a stranger, she tentatively examined her face with her fingers, the fact that the woman in the mirror copied her every move seemed to reassure her some more that it was actually her. The sound of the guy calling her back to the kitchen drew her away and she automatically turned and wandered obediently back to meet him in the kitchen, accepting the coffee with a murmured thank you. She tried not to watch him, but found his face had a magnetic quality about it, and Hope couldn't seem to keep her eyes away from him for long. It confused her and frustrated her to no end. She cleared her throat after her latest sip and then licked her lips, deliberating before speaking,

"Who are you?" She asked suddenly. Wyatt cradled his coffee in both hands as he turned to look at her from under his lashes, head ducked down a little as he regarded her closely. He leaned back against the kitchen counter and sighed, taking a sip, swallowing it down before shrugging lamely.

"I don't think we need to get into the full details just yet," he told her, glancing around the place idly. He took in the features of the house, the furniture and the ornaments and the artwork on the walls, all so beautiful and stylish yet so mundane to the everyday eye, when you were simply coming home to rest, growing used to your surroundings enough to miss the beauty. He wondered if he'd ever done that to Hope, if he'd ever taken her for granted. If he had, he sure wished he hadn't now. This... amnesiac Hope was unsettling for him. Eventually he sighed and looked at her once again. "My name is Wyatt. Wyatt De Sauveterre. Born and raised in France with a French Italian family, not your average guy by any standards, and I'm kind of a dick. I like poems and art, and I live here with you. That's about it for now."

Hope hummed and nodded, looking awkwardly down at her coffee, the intensity of his gaze once again serving to unsettle her. She tapped one of the fingers on her left hand idly against the mug and then frowned once again, remembering suddenly the absence of the supposed ring, she looked back up to him with a curious look,

"So, if I'm getting married... shouldn't I have a ring?" She asked him, raising her hand to show him, wiggling her fingers somewhat. She tilted her head as she waited for a reply, eyes flicking to the oven momentarily, the scent exuding around the kitchen now was close to heavenly, and she hummed appreciatively at the skill level he had with cooking. She tried to keep her gaze away from him for a long time, but, predictably, couldn't manage it. Her grip on her mug tightened. Wyatt frowned and took another sip of his coffee before setting the mug down on the counter, and an aggravated noise escaped him as he took her hand into his and examined it, as if by doing so he'd somehow locate it on her finger. But alas, it was gone. Angrily, he licked his lips and took a sharp step back, an aggressive sigh pushing itself from his lungs forcibly.

"You did," he told her, the irritation evident in his tone. "And we're gonna find it, because that was expensive and you really liked it." He shook his head and turned his focus to the lasagna, which was cooked by now. Opening the oven door, he took it out, forgoing gloves, uncaring of the momentary burns that singed his fingers and palm. He placed it on top of the oven and took plates from the cupboard, getting cutlery and beginning to serve the dish. Hope made a small discontented noise but nodded, glad to have finally received an answer. She went to go and sit back on her stool, luckily for her she had missed his little display of the supernatural with the lasagna, as it would most likely have freaked her out. She'd just sat down when there was this sound that started to resonate and rocket around inside of her head, it was entirely too familiar, she recognised that sound, it brought terrifying, traumatising connotations with it, and she screamed suddenly, clutching at her head and sagging onto the table in front of her. There was a searing pain that hit her, and had her doubled over as best as she could be with the table intercepting the top and lower half of her frame. Hope sobbed and cried and then, as soon as the pain had hit her, it was gone, and she passed out over the table. Grabbing the salt and pepper, Wyatt lightly seasoned the food he'd served onto the plate, then tucked a knife and fork into each serving for the two of them to use. He jolted and whirled around at the sound of Hope screaming, horrified to see her doubled over the table, in clear and evident pain, before she suddenly just... stopped. Altogether. And flopped over the surface of the table, unconscious. He threw the plates he was holding back onto the counter and was by her side in a flash, gripping her shoulders and lifting her up, pulling her back into his arms as he crouched next to her, taking her face in one of his hands and turning her head towards him as his eyes worriedly scanned over her, wondering what on God's earth was happening to her. Eventually, Hope blinked, groaned and regained consciousness, her vision was blurry after she opened her eyes,

"God..." She moaned, and leaned into his touch instinctually. She wasn't sure why but it the most natural thing to her, she found comfort in him, and as her gaze finally reached his, and their eyes locked, for a split second, she knew him and she loved him. Hope let out an agonised whimper and squeezed her eyes shut, her head ached and it pounded and the sound hadn't left her. What even had just happened. She had no appetite now. She didn't really feel much of anything beyond confusion and agonised remnants of memories and emotions. She paused and backtracked on that thought process, and gasped a little. Her mind went to the twins upstairs, her hearing had suddenly picked up the sounds of their speedy little heartbeats, her supernatural abilities seemingly had returned to her after her pass out, and she frowned as she tried to remember their names. Ca-something. Hope sighed and rested her face in her hands, withdrawing from Wyatt as she did so.

Wyatt scanned his eyes over Hope's face, expression clearly displaying concern and something a little pained, that he didn't know how to help her, that he didn't know of anything he could do for her, all the while reading through her thoughts and trying to get a read on the process of her brain at that current moment, wondering what was going through her head and if there was any sort of glimmer of remembrance for anything within their shared life or her own personal life. He sighed heavily as she drew away from him, but he felt the faintest spark of hope within him as she nearly caught Cassia's name in her mind's eye. He glanced upstairs and listened in on the twins, sleeping soundly despite what their rabbit-fast heartbeats may have suggested. Tribrid babies, their heartbeats so quick, perhaps due to the wolf sides of them. Wyatt had been concerned at first, but once it became a consistent feat within them he settled and grew used to it.

"Would you like to see your babies?" He asked Hope gently. Hope glanced up to him sharply, eyebrows raised and heartbeat unsteady now. She sniffed a little and stretched, with a nod. She was curious about these babies. She'd heard them, heard of them, and she'd seen that ultrasound of them, but most of all; it was the thought of them being hers. Two beings that were related to her and born of her and maybe even looked like her? Hope had this feeling inside of her that she needed to see them, to see if it triggered anything. She got the sense Wyatt's thoughts were going down the same path. She felt like she knew what he was to her, but wasn't willing to accept or believe it until he'd said it himself, or if she had undeniable proof. Hope let her gaze dart to the ring on his ring finger again, and then back to him,

"Please." She asked quietly, and then cleared her throat, standing when he did. Wyatt watched her critically, analysing her every twitch and movement, though he'd shut out the sound of her thoughts at that point, the chaos within her mind causing him something of a headache. He nodded his head a little when she agreed to going to see them, and watched as she stood up, making sure he didn't need to reach out and steady her again. When he was certain that she was balanced on her feet, he turned on his heels and left the kitchen, lasagna forgotten for the time being - they could always reheat it later. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was following - and she was - then turned the corner into the entryway and ascended the large staircase to the first floor where the twins' room was located, right next door to their own. Hope immediately froze outside their door, and waited, not daring to breathe. She leaned into Wyatt for support, and then instantly recoiled and backed away, apologising to him in a whisper, highly aware of the fact that the babies were sleeping. She took a deep, somewhat steadying breath and then quietly pushed the door open to the room, and ghosted her way in, arriving finally by the cot, her eyes widened and her lips parted and her heartbeat picked up tenfold at the sight of them. She let out an astonished huff, a hesitant smile forming on her face at the strangest feeling connecting up with her cut off memories and senses. There was an undeniable bond here, she frowned and clenched her jaw suddenly in harsh concentration, and racked her brains until finally, blissfully, she turned to Wyatt with an ecstatic smile on her face and pointed to the twins,

"Cassia," She whispered, and then switched to the male twin, pointing at him now, looking to Wyatt for confirmation, "Jakobe?" She questioned. The recollection of them hit her like a freight train and she had to sit down in the nearby armchair as their short lives unfolded themselves infront of her eyes once more. She'd regained all memories of her children. She let out a relieved sigh and smiled a little, pleased. There was still nothing of Wyatt, though, Or this house. Or herself. Hope frowned a little at that realisation. Wyatt watched her react to the babies, a slight quirk to his lips that indicated the beginnings of a smile, and he let out a little breath of relief as she whispered their names, pointing at each twin in turn. He nodded his head in confirmation, a pleased look on his face, smile widening a little. He took a few small steps further into the room, slow and measured, clasping his hands in front of him as he came to a standstill a few feet in front of her, rocking on his heels and the balls of his feet ever so slightly, the leather of his combat boots creaking ever-so-slightly. A quick poke through her mind revealed that she only remembered the twins and no more of her life, explaining the way she deflated ever so slightly, a frown forming on her face. He shrugged a single shoulder, tilting his head with a small smile.

"You'll get there," he told her gently. "You've overcome worse than this before, surprisingly. That probably sounds impossible to you right now, but trust me."

Hope watched him, and there was something about the absolute faith in his tone and expression that caused her to share in his hope for the situation. She nodded slowly, her eyes flicking over to the children before returning swiftly back to him, not able to stay away from the sight of him for too long,

"Will you help me?" She asked in a delicate whisper, eyes wide and hopeful, a small smile still playing on her lips, she got up and went back over to the babies, leaning down to cross her arms and rest her head on them on the cot, watching the little miracles with the most adoring smile. Hope sighed contentedly and then nodded to herself lightly, she stroked a single finger over both of their cheeks and then let herself and Wyatt out of the room, leaving the little loves to sleep.

"Of course," Wyatt said evenly, watching her as she interacted with the twins. "Even if, for some strange reason, I didn't want to? It's largely my responsibility. You and I are... important to each other." He squinted a little, looking off into the empty space as he thought that sentence over, before shrugging to himself, lips pursed with a little nonchalant nod of his head. He slipped back out of the room and made his way downstairs again, knowing that Hope was following behind him. He wasn't really sure how to do this, since it'd never been something he'd dealt with. Hopefully she'd get her memories back in time (and hopefully that time wouldn't be a prolonged period), but until then he supposed he had to somehow sate her curiosity and give her a suitable amount of information, all the while having to make sure he didn't say something that frightened her off. He sighed and moved into the living room, taking a seat on the sofa. What could he start with? Pictures? Words? He raked his teeth over his bottom lip as he contemplated his options. They were limited.

Hope gave a slight nod of her head, glancing behind her to see what he was looking at, and found nothing specific, and so she decided he'd zoned out, or something. Although, it seemed an unlikely thing, for a guy such as this one, he was very alert, and focused, concentrated. She raked her teeth over her lower lip, a small crease in her brow as she tried painfully to piece together the pieces of what was... her life. It was a weird concept. She raked a hand tiredly through her hair, and tucked her hands into the pockets of the woolly dress she was wearing, and kept her gaze on the fireplace as he turned to look at her,

"So... Where am I going to sleep?" She asked lightly, her mind had clearly over exerted itself, it was a doubtless thing, the amount of stuff her mind had gone through in one day, and now she was exhausted. Hope put a hand to her head, her eyes closed for a second before she licked her lips and looked back up to him with what seemed to be the last of her leftover energy with a burning question, one she had been contemplating for some time,

"Are you my fiance?" She asked, tilting her head and watching him in a tired, anxious fashion.

Wyatt licked his lips and huffed, thinking over her initial question. Where was she going to sleep? Well, he supposed, she'd sleep in their shared room and he'd take the sofa. That seemed about the most practical thing to do, and the most gentlemanly on his behalf. He was just about to open his mouth and tell her as such, leaving out the part about him relocating, when she questioned their relationship with each other, voicing her wonderment on whether or not he was her fiance. Wyatt found himself tripping over some vague noises, before he regained his composure and rose to his feet once again, pushing away from the sofa. It hadn't taken her long to come to that theory at all, he noted; he'd always known she was an observant woman, but perhaps he'd underestimated just how observant she was. With a heavy sigh, Wyatt dipped his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose lightly, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he furrowed them, squinting a little. One way or another, he was going to have to tell her.

"Yes..." he trailed off, pausing for a moment before dropping his hand to his side and looking up at her. "That'd be me. Hello."

Hope nodded slowly, registering the new information with a small contemplative hum, licking her lips and wriggling her nose. She wasn't sure how to react to that, although she was fairly sure she'd already known, in the back of her mind, or rather the more subtle part of the forefront. She frowned and then exhaled through her nose, allowing the crease in her brow to smooth out and a small reassuring smile to appear, although this revelation didn't mean all that much to her as she still didn't know who she was, let alone who he was, she didn't want to offend him, and so she made the effort to nod meaningfully, giving him a small awkward wave,

"And... Are the twins yours?" She continued, making the connection. She'd seen glimpses of Wyatt in the summative flashback of the twins' lives she'd seen back in their room, and she... supposed she also knew that. It wasn't hard to work it out.

Wyatt glanced her up and down briefly, a quick look to gauge her reaction, though he didn't expect much from her since she didn't have her memories. He tucked his hands into his pockets and took a small, cautionary step closer to her, squinting a little with a furrowed brow as he regarded her closely and carefully. He nodded a little in response to her question before speaking.

"Yeah, Jakobe and Cassia De Sauveterre. Wyatt De Saueveterre. Your full name is Hope Mikaelson, and we haven't yet discussed it but going by our children's surnames I assume you'll be taking mine. Or, you would have been, anyway... when you had your memories about you," Wyatt frowned a little as he spoke, pausing to contemplate that. What if Hope never got her memories back, and this version of her decided that she didn't want him? What if this version of Hope wouldn't come to love him as her old self did? She barely had any memories at all, meaning there was no way of knowing just how much of her personality would be retained. Could this version of her, should her memories never return, love him? But then... she had remembered the twins. Wyatt shook his head with an aggravated little sigh, shaking himself out of that thought process. She'd already remembered her children and it'd been mere hours. Surely that meant her case wasn't so hopeless. He blinked a little and zoned in again, looking her in the eyes, an apologetic sort of look on his face. "Sorry. I've never had to deal with anything like this before. It's hard knowing how much I should be revealing when I know the whole story and you only know a single chapter thus far; it's difficult trying to judge just how much information will overwhelm you."

Hope watched him a little anxiously, though she wasn't sure why she felt that way, and then tilted her head. She frowned and then took a small step similar to his own, her frown becoming even more pronounced as she tried to focus on remembering him, much like she had done with the twins. She was quickly interrupted, however by that familiar sound that echoed within the confines of her head, and she cried out, hyper aware of what would follow. Hope looked up to Wyatt in alarm, she wanted to call out to him to help her, but by then it was too late, and that agonising pain swept over her, and it truly felt like her brain was dying. She felt as if she were paralysed and with a barely stifled scream, she crumpled to the floor, and collapsed there, passed out once again. Hope awoke for the second time that day, after being passed out, and put a hand to her head, she began to sob softly in relief at the fact that both the pain and the telltale sound was noticeably gone.

Wyatt had, in the meantime of her lack of consciousness, taken her into his arms and laid her down on the sofa. She'd crumpled into herself almost immediately when he'd set her down, and yet again he'd no knowledge of what he could do to help her. Instead, he'd had to stand by as she twisted and writhed, contorted in pain, completely useless to her. It was grating on his last nerve, it really was, that he couldn't do anything for her. Bottom lip trapped between his teeth, he gnawed a little, anxious, waiting her out. When eventually she came to, he let out a huge sigh of relief - only to have it intercepted by the sound of her beginning to sob. He reached out, but sharply held himself back; she didn't know him. He couldn't just be there for her like he used to... which, strangely enough, had only been yesterday. What a weird thought. How right he'd been, that first night he met her, when he'd told her that time was of no concept to supernaturals like him and herself. No, such a pretty, human convention. Their life together had blurred into one long chapter, and he'd been enjoying reading; but now it seemed the author had come to an abrupt close. He could only hope that they'd continue with their part of the story in the next chapter.

Hope took a deep, gasping, desperate breath and pulled herself together. If not for remembering the twins, she was pretty sure she would have been driven to the point of no return by now. She glanced up to Wyatt as she wiped the tears away and sat up slowly. Weirdly enough, to her, he'd been something of a rock. A steadying presence. A comfort. Maybe it was the constant faith he had, or his calm or his way of dealing with all of it. She sighed tiredly and got to her feet, although she was a little shaky, it was nothing that the fast healing didn't rid her of, and that confused her. She didn't understand how humans could do these things. Hope glanced down at herself in confusion and then with her face somewhat screwed up in confusion, she began to stride over to the window. She was so confused. She spun away from it much like her thoughts had abruptly spun away from her, and stood with her back to the wall, her head the only thing touching it as her body leaned away from it. Hope stared absently at the ceiling and then abruptly jerked forward, pushing away from it and tugging her hair out of it's bun. She began to half pace back and forth, within the confines of a short space. Hope felt as if she could very possibly be losing her mind at this point. She raked her hands through her hair, trying to find some semblance of stability.

Wyatt watched her with an intense sort of speculation, his eyes flickering over her form and getting a read on her body language and facial expressions, constantly in tune with the ways in which she was feeling and reacting, his mind reaching out to hers; there was a storm within her, raging, turbulent, all the perplexity and frustration, all the white noise of forgotten memories. He could practically feel it, like a buzz under his skin, simmering with an unwanted sort of prickling heat - he could hardly think to imagine what it must have been like to be her. He quickly paced over to her as she began to run her hands through her hair, knowing full-well that it'd lead to tugging at some point. He enveloped her in his arms, uncaring of personal boundaries at this point. He needed that touch, that physical contact; he couldn't be there for her emotionally without there being some form of tactility. Wyatt held her close and secure to his chest, keeping her hands pinned between their bodies, his own hands placed strategically, one on the back of her head, cradling it to his chest, and the other on her waist, his arm around her. He hushed her softly, leaning down to murmur to her.

"You feel insane right now, you feel like you're losing it. I know. I can tell. I can hear it. I can see it in your eyes. But trust me; you're going to be fine. I won't let you lose yourself," he promised her urgently, brushing his lips against her temple.

Hope kind of froze up, there was this weird tugging sensation in her mind now. Maybe it was something in the way he'd acted, something he'd said, perhaps? But whatever it was, it made sense to her, it spoke to her. He'd done this before. Something he just did was reminiscent of the memories she'd lost with him. Hope immediately stopped all movement and her eyes widened immeasurably, though he couldn't see them. She didn't struggle, and she doubted she could considering how securely he was holding her. It was the most indescribable feeling, the way her very heart itself seemed to be screaming at her to recognise him. It was like something that had been locked away in her soul was hammering and fighting to get out, and she gave out some kind of strangled gasp, tugging away from him slightly to gaze up with him, her hands coming up to clutch at his arms,

"Do something else. Quickly. I need to remember-" She rushed out, her mind not registering her saying the words, but the subconscious urgency inside of her was pushing her to reach out to him. Maybe it was that old version of herself fighting to get free. She didn't know, all she knew was urgency.

Wyatt's eyes widened slightly in alarm at the sudden stillness followed by a surge of movement. He glanced down sharply at his arms where her hands clutched desperately, before he looked up and met her eyes, that were focused on him with such an intensity that it made him feel like she was peering into his very soul - or, what little of a soul he had left - and piercing it. Like she was searching in him for answers. Do something else, she'd said. Do something else. What, his touch had provoked memories within her? Wyatt gaped very slightly, lips moving but forming no words or sounds. His mind had blanked, having been totally thrown through a loop, so he did the only thing he could think to do in that moment and followed his instincts, the urge to kiss her, and leaned down, capturing her lips with his and kissing her with so much passion he could hardly recognise himself within the moment.

Hope freaked out the moment she realised what he was going to do but that same urgent desperation inside of her had forced her to keep stubbornly still, and accepted his lips with hers. And then, just like that, it was literally as if sparks flew. Everything set off inside of her mind, and then, after a few torturous seconds of absolute insanity, her mind suddenly went very calm, and peaceable. She felt herself relax into him the way she used to- the way she used to. Hope knew him now. Of course she did. It was Wyatt, the very other part of her being. The love of her life. A relieved laugh escaped her and her hands came up to cup his face the way they always did and she went up on her tiptoes a little, smiling into the kiss. It was at this point Hope realised who she was, and along with that realisation came the secondary realisation that this was because the love she had for Wyatt was so largely what she was made up of, it was the essence of her. The substance. He'd shaped her in so many ways that she wasn't the same without him. Hope felt the tears rolling down her cheeks but ignored them, they were happy tears after all. The storm was over. For once, it was the calm after the storm.

Wyatt felt it, the exact moment when she'd come to recognise him. An instant feeling of relief flooded through his system and had him curling his arms more tightly around her, lifting her up into his embrace, letting out a soft noise that audibly communicated his sudden ease. It was crazy, he thought, distantly, at the back of his mind. It was crazy how simple that'd been, that just his kiss could evoke within her the memories of their past, present and future. Perhaps fairy tale, even. He didn't know how it could be possible. But he himself defied the laws of nature simply by existing, and if ever were he to be asked if he knew a princess then he'd surely point to her, the love of his life. So maybe it really was that easy. He didn't know why, or how, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. No, instead he simply basked in her touch, her proximity, the heat of her body against his and the soft slide of her lips moving in sync with his own. Funny, how it'd only been some hours yet he'd missed her more in those few hours where she hadn't known him than he'd missed her over the entire course of their year-or-so together. Except perhaps during their pause, but that seemed so long ago now that the loss barely registered with him anymore. No, this was only just slipping into a part of their past and it'd been overwhelming in its entirety. He was simply amazed and extremely grateful that he had her back.

Hope moaned quietly as she came to terms with the sensation of Wyatt once again. She trembled a little as she pulled away from him, her cup of his face being evolved by the soothing swiping of her thumbs across his cheekbones, and she simply just stared up into his eyes. The smile never left her face of course, and then she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. She held onto him for dear life and clung to him as if she'd almost lost him. She nearly had, it felt like. Hope hugged his head and then leaned back round to kiss him again. She couldn't tell if she was still crying or not. She just knew she needed to kiss him, she didn't even have any words she could say to him, she was so overwhelmed, she just needed to express to him the love she had for him and that she was back and that she'd missed him and that she was sorry. The things she wanted to say seemed to be endless, but the things she could say seemed to be non-existent.

Wyatt caught her effortlessly, his hands immediately finding a grasp at the backs of her thighs, holding her up comfortably. He buried his face into her neck as she hugged him close to her, tilting his head up accommodatingly when she drew back again to reconnect their lips. His eyes fluttered closed gently, and there was this feeling of complete serenity residing within him at that very moment. He had her back. He had her back and she knew him and here she was in his arms, kissing him and clutching him like he was her lifeline. He took a few steps back 'til he found the sofa and dropped down onto it, leaning back into the cushions and settling his hands at her hips, tilting his head into the kiss and humming softly.

Hope withdrew from him briefly to laugh a little, not because anything was funny, but just because she was so overjoyed. She started to kiss him once again after they were sat down on the sofa, her hands smoothing up to tangle themselves lightly in his hair,

"I love you." She murmured against his lips, "...And I'm sorry." She added as an afterthought, her tone dropping with the sincerity of the whole thing. Hope clung to him a little tighter and kissed him a little harder. She didn't know exactly what had happened to her, it was all just a load of weird flashes and sounds and she had indistinct impressions of the things that she'd seen but nothing more than that.


	17. Seventeen: The Bad Day

Hope shut the front door behind her a little harder than she had intended to. She'd had an awful day, the witches and probably some other random groups of supernatural creatures were going out of their way to make her life a misery, and had started targeting her. She'd lost her job the moment she'd walked through the door, her boss had seemingly been compelled to do so, and she'd been assaulted the moment she'd walked past an alleyway outside. It hadn't taken her long to kill all of them, but she was still hurt, and in a miserable mood. Hope had experienced a series of unfortunate, or rather carefully planned events that completely ruined her day. She prayed that Wyatt was home. All she wanted to do was spend time with her fiance and find her solace in him and their children.

Wyatt was in the living room, asleep on the floor and surrounded by a nest of pillows, both of the twins asleep with him. Jakobe was on his chest, and Cassia in the crook of his arm. His chest rose and fell softly with each breath and he looked relaxed and peaceful, finally having managed to get the twins to settle and to catch some sleep with them. He hadn't had any worries about doing so, as the manor was highly secure and he'd sure as hell hear it if one of the children needed him - they screamed like mini banshees, a feat that most certainly had not pleased him when he'd first heard it and continued to displease him. But he was getting more used to it now, after having had the children for over a month.

Hope glanced at the living room, and gave a small smile, it was all she could manage, and the sight before her was probably the only thing that could make her smile, the state her mood was in. She blurred through so that she wouldn't wake her little family, and disappeared upstairs to change and put her stuff away. She grabbed her uniform up from the floor and took it back with her downstairs to the washing machine. With a heavy sigh, she threw it in, and moved about the house to each room, collecting up the clothes that needed washing and taking them down to the machine, she loaded it and put the necessary liquids and powders in to wash the clothes with, and then switched it on and made her way to the kitchen. She considered making a coffee, but the connotations would make her more miserable, and the kettle would wake Wyatt and the twins up. So instead, she got herself a glass of orange juice, and dropped a few cubes of ice into it.

Wyatt sniffed a little and stirred at the noise of Hope whizzing around the place, clearing things away and packing things into the washing machine, all that stuff. He blinked a little and blearily opened his eyes at the sound of ice cubes being dropped into a glass, licking his dry lips with a small, sleepy grumble. He was heavily mussed and lethargic, having been asleep for a good four hours; he was surprised to find the twins still sleeping soundly, as they usually only went down for about two and a half before one of them would start screaming again, and then, of course, the other would join in at having being woken by its sibling. Wyatt sighed a little and tipped his head back, trying to peer into the kitchen from where he was but not managing it with the sofa in his line of vision from his place on the floor.

Hope sat back in one of the stools by the island in the middle of the kitchen and took a sip from her drink. Now that she had nothing to distract her or occupy herself with, her mind drifted back to the day she'd had, and she rested her elbow on the table, and rested her head in her hand, and started quietly sobbing. It probably didn't help that she was sleep deprived. She couldn't help but think to herself, bitterly, that at least now she would have time to sleep, now that she didn't have a job.

Wyatt huffed and grumbled as loudly as he possibly could without waking the babies, trying to draw Hope's attention to him. He daren't move in case he woke up the babies, but he wanted his fiancee to come over into the living room with him so he could give her some attention. He sighed heavily and hissed her name under his breath, rolling his eyes when it provoked no response from her. Finally, he simply decided on using his mental capabilities to will her into the living room. He reached out to her mind and thought about her coming into the room, and thankfully it seemed to work because he heard the stool in the kitchen scrape against the floor.

Hope found herself suddenly standing in the doorway to the living room, and she blinked, frowning, trying to work out what she was doing there. She squinted suddenly at Wyatt who had his neck craned and was staring at her from his position on the floor. She narrowed her eyes further and then sighed, wiping the remannts of her tears from her cheeks and shuffling her way over to him quietly, and stood there looking down at him for a moment, trying to figure out how she was supposed to fit in with them before spotting exactly where she was supposed to slot in, and then laid down with her small family.

Sensing his fiancee's distress, Wyatt glanced down at Hope with a furrowed brow. A quick look through her mind, the thoughts plaguing it, told him all that he needed to know, and a hot swell of anger bubbled inside him. Quelling it, he slowly shifted so as not to wake up the babies. He got up with them and carried them to their bedroom, which he'd already set up so that it was warm, and laid the children in their shared cot. A theory came to mind that it might have been something to do with his presence that had the twins sleeping so easily, so he slipped off his shirt and put it in with them before turning off the light and closing the door softly. In a flash, he was downstairs again and sweeping Hope up into his arms, before taking her up to their bedroom and depositing her onto the bed. He closed the door and flicked the light switch off, lighting a scented candle on the bedside cabinet before joining her on the mattress and pulling the duvet and blankets up over them. With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her into his chest, snuggling up to her and pressing a kiss to the back of her head behind her ear.

Hope sat up and watched him as he abruptly got up and left the room with the kids. She was confused until he rejoined her, shirtless, and scooped her up, and with a small huff she clung to him, inhaling his scent, listening to his heartbeat. She gave a heavy sigh of relief once he had snuggled up with her, wrapping her up in warmth and love and comfort. Exactly what she needed. Regardless, she couldn't help the mini break down she'd been holding back all day. There were parts of her that were still sore and bruised, that would take a little while longer to heal. She was so tired, and that was probably why she was crying as much as she was. Hope clutched at the pillow her head had come to rest on and turned her head into it to sob into.

Wyatt sighed softly and tugged the blankets higher up on their bodies, so that only the top halves of their faces were peeping out. He pressed soft kisses to the back of her neck or head every once in a while, simply holding her and letting her get it all out. He closed his eyes on a small exhale, lightly squeezing her in a sign of solidarity and comfort; he shifted one of his arms upwards, hand searching 'til it found one of hers, and then he laced their fingers together, brushing his thumb gently over the base of her thumb.

Hope eventually stopped crying, and although she was left with hiccups as a side effect, she was much better off for it. She shifted around until she was facing him and with a small sniff and a hiccup, reached up to cup his face and press a much needed kiss to his lips. She let it linger until she needed to hiccup again, at which point she released him and buried her face in his neck, her head slotting perfectly under his chin as it always did, and pressed her lips to the skin of his neck. Hope made an effort to forget everything else and just focus on him and how much she loved him, and it seemed to work, because she found herself a lot calmer.

Wyatt leaned into the kiss when Hope pressed her lips to his, a small, pleased exhale escaping his nose as she did so. When she pulled away, his hand found its way into her hair, fingers wrapping up in the long, golden locks of it, and he tucked his face against the top of her head, nosing at her scalp lightly and inhaling her shampoo-tinged scent.

Hope sighed lightly, and tucked herself up into him further, humming tiredly as she bumped her nose lightly against the underside of his jaw affectionately,

"Thank you." She murmured, not knowing what she would do without him. She tried to stretch but found she was still too bruised and sore and hissed in pain, scowling as she returned to her original position curled up in his arms.

Wyatt shrugged a little and rubbed his other hand up and down her back with long, soothing strokes. He arched an eyebrow slightly and glanced down at her with a skeptical look on his face as he observed her hissing and scowling.

"What's up with your healing abilities?" He asked her with a concerned sort of frown taking its place upon his expression.

Hope grumbled and her scowl deepened,

"Witches." She replied simply, by way of explanation, knowing they'd messed with her somehow. It worried her, somewhat, as the witches seemed to be taking such strides in what they could do to effect her.

Wyatt let out an irritated noise and smoothed his palms along her back and sides, then up her arms, trying to relieve some of the tension through massage-like touches while avoiding touching too much on her bruises. He pressed a small kiss to her temple as he went, a deep sigh escaping him. He clenched his jaw slightly, trying to will away his anger.

Hope didn't move anything apart from her arm, moving her hands upwards to find the back of his neck, where she gently massaged at the skin there, with the one hand, and gave a little sigh of her own,

"What did I even do?" She asked quietly, not exactly directing it at him as such.


	18. Eighteen: Halloween

Wyatt was never one for dressing up, but Hope had insisted that he join her in playing the part for this Halloween party. At least, he reasoned with himself, he didn't have to do much; it was pretty much his usual dress sense, except he had some fake blood splattered on his red and black checkered shirt, and his eyelids were rimmed with charcoal black eyeliner. His jeans were also, somehow, a little tighter than usual too. Wyatt sighed as he glanced around the party. He'd come alone, Hope having insisted that he wait to be surprised by her outfit. Spying a drinks table, Wyatt swaggered his way over through the mass of dancing bodies and grabbed a plastic cup, pouring himself a drink.

Hope arrived a little while after Wyatt did, she glanced at her outfit in the full length mirror on her way in and gave a satisfied little snort. The irony was beautiful. It was just the right amount of skimpy; consisting of a tiny little black glittery witch hat on her head, some expertly applied smoky makeup, a lacey, black little corset (that was classy, not one of those slutty barely there ones, thank you very much), a short little flaring skirt that was of the same fabric as the cape she was wearing, attached to the corset so that her shoulders were still on show, and even some stockings. She'd gone all out. Hope spied her fiance immediately, and sneaked up behind him, covering his eyes from behind.

Wyatt had been sipping on his alcohol slowly to pass the time when suddenly he'd sensed a presence behind him, and felt hands covering his eyes less than a mere second later; he snorted, scoffing playfully.

"Well, I wonder," he drawled, "who could possibly have the bravery to approach me in such a manner? I am most perplexed," he taunted, sarcasm drenching his every word. He licked his lips a little, smirking, and turned around so Hope's hands came to rest at the back of his head instead, taking in her appearance. As he registered her outfit, his eyes widened a little, pupils dilating ever-so-slightly as he absorbed the sight of her, swallowing a little roughly. "Well indeed," he breathed, pursing his lips.

Hope raised her eyebrows at his reaction, a broad smirk coming to play on her lips, she cocked her head at him, shaking it slowly, pursing her lips in amusement,

"You came as a vampire? Really?" She laughed, allowing her head to tip forward a little with it. They'd both come as an exaggerated version of what they were. She sighed in breathless amusement and leaned up on her tiptoes a little to kiss his lips, "Happy Halloween", she murmured, leaving her lips barely an inch away from his own.

Wyatt smirked a little and shrugged, quirking his eyebrows up as he glanced her over.

"At least I can play the part better than any other wannabes here," he chuckled, wrapping his arms securely around her waist as she pressed a kiss to his lips. "Happy Halloween," he murmured back, lips brushing hers. Closing the distance between them, he kissed her slowly, enjoying the feel of her soft lips against his own.

Hope made an appreciative little humming sound that communicated her pleasure in being with him after spending practically the whole day without him,

"I missed you." She sighed happily, moving more into his space, looping her arms around his neck, gazing at him lovingly as she did so. She was glad he'd been affected by her outfit. She'd put a lot of effort into it. It was partially an early birthday present for him.

Wyatt made a throaty sort of humming noise to communicate his agreement, reluctant to pull away from her lips. He huffed a little and nuzzled his face into her neck, lightly nipping the skin there before brushing the tip of his tongue over where he'd nipped.

"Missed you too," he muttered, mouth pressed to the pulse point along her carotid artery.

Hope smiled and pressed herself up against him a little more, glancing about her at the other partygoers. They were attracting barely any attention. She brought his face back up so she could kiss him and then kissed daintily along his jaw, subtly slipping her hands up into his hair and tugging on it lightly,

"The eyeliner suits you." She murmured, a quiet little huff of amusement leaving her, her eyes traveling over his face, she moved along his jaw further with her lips and nibbled on it lightly, pressing a kiss to cover any pain she might have caused him in doing so.

Wyatt groaned ever-so-slightly at the small tug of his hair, chuckling a little as she nipped and kissed along his jaw delicately.

"You won't break me, you know," he smirked, sliding his hands a little lower on her body. He subtly pressed his hips forward against her, leaning down to murmur against her ear, "and if you carry on, I won't be held responsible for my actions," he let his lips brush the shell of her ear as he spoke, moving further down to catch her earlobe between his lips with a small, playful tug.

Hope arched her eyebrows and then abruptly stepped away from him, backing away and examining him for a moment before leaning past him to get herself a drink, she swayed her hips a little as she walked away from him, a knowing grin on her face as she did so. She moved off into the crowd and took a nonchalant sip of her drink, knowing he was following her. Hope glanced about her casually, pretending she'd all but forgotten he was there. The element of surprise was key. Hope always surprised him.

Wyatt growled a little and scowled mistrustfully at her as he followed behind, abandoning his own drink to pursue this little game she so obviously wanted to play out. By all means, though, he was more than willing to give chase. He wandered behind her at a short distance away from her, his steps slow and deliberate as he fixed his eyes on her every movement, waiting to see what she was planning.

Hope stopped and glanced behind her at him, arching her eyebrows as if to ask what he wanted, pretending she had no clue what the answer could be. She sighed breezily and collected her hair up, throwing it deftly over the shoulder that was facing away from him, exposing her neck and shoulder, arching an eyebrow at him, a small little smile coming in to play now. Once again, she abruptly moved away from him, tossing her hair so it hung down her back, finishing at her waist, swaying as she walked. She became aware of the attention she was attracting, and wanting to avoid a situation much like that of the bar they visited, she decided to give up the game for now and made her way back over to meet him.

Wyatt grumbled a little as she returned to him and gripped her hips a little roughly, pulling her against him as he glared over her shoulder at an interested onlooker.

"That," he hissed dangerously, "was a very precarious game." He ran a hand possessively up along her spine, coming to cup the back of her neck, fingertips brushing through the roots of her hair, while his other hand slipped down to cup her ass, fingertips grazing just below the hem of her skirt, teasing at the exposed skin at the back of her thigh. He slid the hand at her neck up to brush her hair back, then continued to cradle it in his palm, fingertips pressing down slightly at her nape, her neck now exposed to him; Wyatt glanced at her, a dark look in his eyes, before leaning down and placing a soft, open-mouthed kiss to her pulse point, letting his lips linger, a tease promising more.

Hope froze up and watched him, a little wide eyed. He knew his way around her body better than the back of his hand, she was sure. She swallowed a little roughly, it was more of a gulp, actually, and shivered lightly at the feeling of his hand, and even gave a quiet moan as his lips came into contact with her neck, right at the pulse point. Hope didn't know why exactly she'd ever thought she could beat him. He would always win when it came to her, She was powerless to him and he knew and she now very much knew it. It was all she could think about as he teased her.

Wyatt chuckled a little against her skin, dragging his lips up to the spot just below her ear and placing a light, barely-there kiss to it, muttering, "I really wanna get you away from prying eyes," and as he spoke, the hand at her ass had skimmed down to the back of her thigh, hoisting her leg just slightly so that Hope had to hook her leg around his, his fingertips now skirting along her inner thigh and upwards, dangerously close to where she'd have wanted him but not quite there, a couple of centimeters distance away.

Hope gasped and almost blurred away from him, her eyes widened and her lips parted, her forehead creasing as she tried to think of a way to regain her dignity in the situation. She bit her lip briefly and then pressed her hips against his lightly,

"Then let's go..." She whispered to him, turning her head in towards him to press a lingering, sensual kiss to the hinge of his jaw, "Take me away..." She teased him, laughing quietly and allowing her own hands to explore his muscular chest.

Wyatt hummed and quirked his eyebrows up a little, eyelids fluttering closed for a brief moment as her mouth pressed to his jaw in a way that had him clutching her a little more tightly.

"I don't have the patience for home," he told her, and that was all the warning she had before he scooped her up into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist, carrying her off to one of the bathrooms, uncaring of who saw them leave the room. If anything, he wanted them to see; he especially wanted those who'd leered at her to see, to know it was him that had her, and it'd be him that left marks on her neck and felt the sway of her hips against his - not them. Never them.

Hope let out the smallest yelp and clung to him, giving those who watched them a small salute, and as soon as the door the upstairs bathroom shut and was locked behind them, she leaned down to kiss him the way she had wanted to the whole time, dirty and a little open mouthed, definitely breathlessly. She left small moans against his lips, pulling away from him briefly with a gasping breath to scold him,

"Wyatt De Sauveterre, you have no subtlety about yo-" She was of course cut off by a hungry kiss on his part, and let her words twist into a moan, tangling her fingers in his hair once again.

Wyatt let his teeth drag over her bottom lip hotly, walking her backwards to the sink counter and depositing her there, gripping her thighs roughly and tugging her against him, hips pushing against hers, grinding his length against her as he dipped his head to mouth at the soft spot on her neck, biting down and sucking a bruise into the skin.

He slipped a hand up below her skirt and curled his fingers around the top of her stocking, un-clipping the clasp and pulling it down her thigh, smoothing his palm over the newly exposed skin.

Hope made a small noise, accompanied by an 'ouch' but decided it didn't matter, it was hot. She pulled his torso closer to hers and pressed their chests together as they kissed, and had to bite her lip to stifle the volume of the moan she wanted to release,

"You are the worst. You know I'm not good at being quiet." She protested, but found she wasn't all that unfortunate, enjoying the sensations way too much to make him stop. She sighed breathlessly and closed her eyes, slipping a hand down to stroke his length through his jeans, a smug smirk taking up residence on her face at how hard he was already.

Wyatt's hips hitched forward into her hand, and he let out a small groan, trailing the tip of his tongue over the mark he'd left on her skin to soothe it, before lifting his head and biting down on his bottom lip. He made quick work of the other stocking, again not taking it off, just moving it down, wanting to feel more of her skin. He caught her lips with his and kissed her fervently, murmuring against her lips, "I want them to hear you, let 'em know you're mine," before he brushed his tongue against hers, deepening the kiss.

Hope was aware of the fact she was practically wearing lingerie, and so could understand why Wyatt was so readily horny, and allowed him to explore her body, having never seen or experienced her in lingerie before. She smiled against his lips, loosening her grip on his hair so she could cup his face, her other hand moving to unzip his jeans, unbuttoning them and releasing his length, thinking it must have been quite painful for him to have them so tight against such a delicate part of him. She stroked him the way she knew he liked her to, and met his tongue with her own.

Wyatt groaned into her mouth and slid his hand higher, pushing her skirt up, his other hand coming to her hip and clutching it beneath the fabric. He pulled away from the kiss and immediately brought his mouth to her jaw, trailing sensual, dragging kisses across the line of it, letting his teeth rake just slightly against her skin. "Do you have any idea," he murmured, moving just under the hinge of her jaw, "how fucking hot you look right now?" There was a certain huskiness to his tone, arousal thickening his voice; he kissed over the sensitive areas of her neck, the way she liked, as his fingers pushed her underwear to one side, thumb massaging her clit.

Hope shook her head breathlessly, laughing,

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me." She laughed, answering him as best as she could considering the things he was doing to her, she gasped and jerked her hips forward when he touched her where she needed him, growling playfully, low enough to be sensual, and arched her spine, letting her head fall back, she caught sight of them in the mirror, and that served to turn her on even more, and so she came back up to meet him in a flash, locking his lips with her own, moaning and gasping.

Wyatt grinned a little at her reaction, and his pupils dilated further at the sight of her arching back, her body curving beautifully before him, all exposed and vulnerable to his whims. He slipped his middle finger down just over her entrance where she was damp and throbbing for him just as she surged up again, their lips locking as he pushed his finger inside her and pumped it slowly, teasingly so, much slower than the pace of their kiss, wanting to drive her mad with it.

Hope groaned and then broke the kiss off, gritting her teeth, hissing at him. She knew that he knew exactly what he was doing. She smirked suddenly and tugged his hair a little harshly so that she had access to his neck, extending her fangs and pausing just before coming into contact with his neck,

"No teasing." She told him, raising an eyebrow.

Wyatt grinned a little, a small groan escaping him as he tilted his head into her hands, meeting her eyes with a smirk.

"I dare you," he said lowly, though he certainly picked up the pace a little, curling his finger inside her to hit that spot that sent waves of heat coursing through her entire body, slipping another finger in alongside the first as he did so.

Hope managed to keep her composure, grazing one of her fangs along his skin lightly,

"We'd be even." She joked, and delayed a little before pulling away, making him fear that she would actually do it. She shook her hair to get it out of her face and then looped her arms around his neck, leaning down to kiss him once again, moving her hips up a little, spreading her legs a little more for him. She sighed blissfully and bit down on her lip. Wyatt smirked a little and pulled her closer, removing his fingers from her and pulling a condom from his pocket, ripping it open and rolling it down on himself before lining up and slowly pushing inside. He leaned forward and caught her lips in another kiss, grazing his teeth over her bottom lip in a playful nip, murmuring, "I think I've more than made up for that," his voice a seductive growl as he bottomed out, slipping a hand into her corset and brushing his thumb over her nipple.

Hope laughed louder, putting a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound before placing it on his shoulder to grip to him, moaning as he slid into her,

"Wow, you came prepared, huh?" She teased him, with half lidded eyes and a somewhat husky voice. She moaned louder and tried to smother the sound but gave up and decided to let him have his wish, and opened her vocals so that the party goers could hear her. She snickered at how pleased he was at that, and arched her spine for him again, knowing he liked it when she was vulnerable.

Wyatt gripped the edges of the sink behind her as she gripped onto him and built up a steady rhythm, long, deep thrusts, angling himself so that he was just barely brushing her g-spot. He smirked a little and brought a hand up to undo the lace of her corset, exposing her torso to him, leaning down to kiss over her chest, muttering, "Never know when I'll just need you right in the moment," and then he grazed his teeth over her nipple, moving his hand down to massage her clit at the same time. Hope shivered a little as she was suddenly pretty much naked, and put a hand to his cheek, smoothing her thumb over his cheekbone as she brought his head back up to the level hers was at and hugged him for warmth. She pressed her lips to his ear and nibbled on the lobe, moaning unobtrusively into his ear, pausing in the pattern to make desperate little noises, at which point she always clung to him more, she made her noises even more feminine, and seductive. Wyatt wrapped his other arm around her waist and buried his face into her neck. He groaned lowly against her skin, placing uncoordinated, open-mouthed kisses along the column of her neck. He rocked into her a little harder, tugging her closer to him so he could push deeper and fill her entirely. Wyatt lifted his head and brushed his lips over her ear, growling out softly, "So fucking good for me, aren't you? So perfect."

Hope bit her lip and grinned lightly, she pulled away from him to tug his shirt over his head, desiring the skin to skin contact, and curled her legs around him, she took her time to answer him, stroking a hand slowly down the side of his face, trailing her fingers from his temple, down over his cheekbone and down to his chin,

"Only for you." She murmured, her tone highly seductive and yet intimate in the sense that it was romantic. She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes and bit her lips as he rocked her. Wyatt smiled a little, a small, breathless laugh escaping him, and he tilted his head to catch her lips in another kiss, this one softer and a little less urgent, the strokes of his lips sensuous and thorough. He moved his hand away from between her legs and simply angled her in a way that would have him brushing her clitoris with every thrust, wanting his hands for other purposes. Keeping an arm around her waist, he skimmed his other hand along her side and up to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair. Hope kissed him back until she had to pull back in order to breathe, a little lightheaded. She ducked her head down to bite lightly on his shoulder, managing to effectively muffle the extra loud groan she emitted as he hit her g-spot perfectly, filling her up entirely, pleasuring in the flawless way he always did. It never surprised her when he did so, he was Wyatt, after all. She lifted her head once again to murmur to him that she loved him. Wyatt tilted his head back a little to accommodate her, running his fingers down her spine in a delicate trace of the bones, bringing his hand to her thigh and brushing his thumb over her hip bone. He tilted his head and inclined it towards her, whispering it back, that he loved her too, picking up the pace of his thrusts a little. He let out a low moan from the back of his throat and rested his head against her shoulder. Hope placed a hand on the back of his head, cradling him to her and rested her cheek down on top of his head, closing her eyes and losing herself to the sensations a little. There was a knock on the door which caused her to put a hand to her mouth to cover the laughter and the moans, managing to keep almost silent. The person knocked a few more times but then went away after Wyatt snapped at them, annoyed by their insistence. Hope hid her face in the crook of his neck, and laughed. Wyatt sighed a little, the sound distorted by a laugh that transformed into a deep groan at the clench of Hope's inner walls as she laughed. He gripped her hips roughly with both hands and caught her lips with his, kissing her with a certain degree of desperation as he snapped his hips up, rocking into her with both speed and precision, hitting all the right places.

"C'mon, baby," he whispered, drawing back slightly, their lips still brushing. "Let go," he murmured, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth. Hope smiled and sighed deeply, closing her eyes and letting the tension go, focusing on that that was lingering down by her groin, she hummed lightly as she used a surge of her power to heighten the feeling, bringing herself closer, and when she had done so she gasped, eyes shooting open as she gripped on to him, and accidentally gave him that little shock with her powers much like she had that first time. That's how he knew he'd caused her to lose control. She moaned with a whiny desperation to the sound and pressed her lips to his, kissing him until she hit her climax, at which point her jaw dropped and she let out this loud exclamation, her grip on him tightening but not to the point of danger, and she rattled, trembling with the velocity of pleasure that took over her. Wyatt gasped a little at the shock of her powers surging through him, moaning lowly against Hope's lips as she kissed him desperately. When she came, he held her close to him and let her ride it out, her proximity, the sounds of her, the clench of her muscles serving to bring him over the edge. He buried his face into her neck and slowed his now-shaky thrusts, riding the wave of his climax before he came to a still, brushing his hand softly over her cheek, holding her to him. Hope panted a little as she came down from their joint high, cradling him to her as much as she could, pressing some affectionate little kisses to wherever she could reach of him, and gave one last final moan, it was one of content, and then she sighed quietly, satisfied. She shivered again suddenly, realising just how cold it was in the bathroom, the fact that she'd just had sex probably the only thing keeping her from being affected by it up until now, and held him to her a little tighter,

"Well, I say we sneak out through a window or something." She commented jokingly. Wyatt snorted a little and smirked, shaking his head.

"I see no damage to either of our outfits," he commented, voice low and smooth with the haze of satisfaction. He pulled out as gently as he could and took a step back, removing the condom and tying it up, throwing it into the bin. "No reason why we can't enjoy the rest of the party, huh?" He questioned, smirking. He tucked himself away into his boxers and zipped up his jeans, pushing the button through the hole as he leaned forward and pecked her lips. Hope narrowed her eyes at him minutely,

"I hate you." She sighed and then hopped down from her position from the sink, wincing as she was initially sore, but then straightened up as the fast healing took care of it. She tugged her stockings back up and went over to collect both his shirt and her corset, throwing his shirt at his head, and beginning the struggle of lacing up the corset again. It was something that needed to be done from the back and so she shuffled back over to him with a huff and requested his help, smoothing down her hair as he assisted her. Wyatt chuckled a little and laced up her corset obediently with efficiency. He leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to the point behind her ear, murmuring, "I love you, baby," a small laugh carrying over his words. He lightly slapped her ass, a playful gesture, as he finished up with the corset and moved away to observe himself in the mirror. He tugged his shirt on and then couldn't be bothered with his hair, figuring he looked good either way. He glanced at Hope with a small smirk, seeing if she was ready. Hope sighed in resigned exasperation and rolled her eyes at him and then frowned, moving over to run a hand through his hair,

"You look too good." She mumbled, and then brushed past him, taking a brief moment to smack his ass as an act of revenge before opening the door and making her way downstairs, rejoining the party. She did manage to find where she had left her drink but decided to ignore it, moving over to the drinks table to make herself a new one. Wyatt gasped a little and pouted slightly, glancing at his newly more acceptable hair in the mirror. He huffed and ran his fingers back through it, mussing it up again. It was a Halloween party, after all. What better excuse? Halloween vampires didn't care for grooming! Wyatt grumbled and followed her out a moment later, searching for and immediately finding her in the crowd again and making his way over to her. Hope very nearly jumped as it was quite dark now and she had been distracted admiring the dancing of some guy over by the speakers, but she was too used to him now. He very rarely managed to creep up on her these days, she finished her drink and let go of it, it vanished and seemingly teleported to the bin nearby, she winked at Wyatt and laughed at his reaction. It was the newest trick in her arsenal and she was rather proud of it. Minor teleportation. Hope wrapped her arms around his waist. Wyatt shook his head a little with a fond look on his face, pulling her into his embrace. He smiled and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips, before moving to murmur into her ear over the loud thump of music, "Dance with me?" He tugged at her waist in a gentle sort of encouragement, backing onto the dance floor amidst a sea of writhing bodies. Hope raised an eyebrow but readily accepted his proposal. The last time they had danced together had been at The Founder's Ball, and that had been the same day they'd first slept together. She allowed him to lead her and laced their fingers together, beginning to move with him. She'd always had a gift with her rhythm. Wyatt chuckled and lifted their joined hands, twirling her around before pulling her back against him so that her back was pressed along his front. He wound his arms around her waist from behind and swayed to the beat of the music, "Dracula" by The Gorillaz playing. He smoothed his palms across her lower stomach and down to the front of her hips, burying his face in the back of her neck. Hope snorted and subtly grinded back into him, only briefly, and then angled her head so he had better access to her neck. There was a random girl across the dancefloor who seemed to be trying to grab Hope's attention, and Hope tilted her head at her questioningly, the girls gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, indicating Hope had done very well to get her fiancé, and Hope snorted lightly, winking and grinning back at her dancefloor friend. She spun herself and Wyatt around so that they were facing once again and grabbed his face, pulling him towards her to kiss, suddenly very appreciative of what she had. Wyatt lightly brushed his lips along the nape of her neck as they danced, opening his eyes when he sensed Hope's distraction. He glanced over at the girl, quirking his eyebrows up a little, before his attention was dragged away quite suddenly by Hope spinning around in his arms and kissing him like her life depended on it. He melted into it instantly, arms wrapping tightly around her waist as he kissed her back. Hope hummed in a very very pleased manner and cupped his face as if he were the most precious thing on earth to her. Which, to be fair- he was. She settled back down from her tiptoes and kissed him under his jaw before humming once again, content and placated. She was making the most of her time with him, she was sure. She began to sway with him once more, acting like she hadn't just kissed him so hard it would have surely left bruises if he were human. Wyatt sucked in a breath as she pulled back from him and glanced down at her with a completely absorbed sort of look on his face, engrossed in her entirely. He fell into the rhythm of their dance once again as easily as though they'd never left it, but there was a certain intensity to his gaze now as he looked down at her. He smiled faintly and brought a hand up to brush her hair back behind her ear, nudging their noses lightly.

"I'm so in love with you," he told her softly. Hope beamed at that, smiling happily up at him, making a sound that indicated she was very touched by his words, she looped her arms around his neck, uncaring of that fact they weren't dancing to a slow song and leaned in in a way which meant they could move at a closer proximity, in their own little bubble,

"And you are the love of my life." She told him very seriously, making sure to look at him very sincerely, making sure he knew that. Wyatt made a pleased sort of noise in the back of his throat, nodding his head. He pecked her lips gently before tucking his face into her neck. It was at that moment that a slower song came on, and Wyatt couldn't help letting out a small laugh. Perhaps the DJ had noticed them. Either way, he didn't care. He was simply just enjoying his time with his lover. Hope rolled her eyes and laughed along with him. She sighed in amusement and rubbed his back soothingly, although he didn't need the comfort, she just soothed her hands slowly up and down his spine, moving her fingers lightly over the bumps of it so that the experience wasn't uncomfortable, she angled her head to watch the other couples around them, they all seemed to pale in comparison, but she may be slightly biased,

"I can't wait to be married to you." She murmured distractedly.


	19. Nineteen: The Big Huge Fight

Hope hadn't been happy all day, and Wyatt had been asking her why all day. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to tell him, it was just that she had trouble talking about it. She'd never had the closure she needed when it came to Raj's death. Hope was tucked up by the window, wrapped up in a blanket, hugging herself. She was mourning. It was the fourth year since Raj's death. Her first love, her first marriage. Well, she wasn't sure if the term was accurate.

Wyatt eyed Hope curled up in the blanket by the window, staring out into the barren garden where Autumn had left the trees bare and winter was settling in. There was a small patch of condensation near Hope's face where her breaths had been fanning against the cool glass of the window, and Wyatt found himself wondering how she hadn't caught a chill yet - she was particularly sensitive to the cold. He sighed and wandered into her old room, where she'd been sleeping before she'd moved into his room, beginning to root around. Surely there was something that could give him an indication of what was up if she wouldn't tell him; she'd been particularly focused on keeping a mental block up today, like she was refusing to let him know of her troubles. That didn't sit right with him at all. He could've probed further and challenged it, but she looked miserable; he didn't think she'd appreciate the mental strain, and so instead he'd set about searching for any hints about the house. He didn't know what he'd find, exactly. He just figured that anywhere was as good a place to start.

Hope turned her head minimally in the direction Wyatt had gone, not too worried about where he was going or what he was doing. Nothing came to mind that could cause either of them trouble, and it was true that they were to be married, and so she left him to do his searching. She knew she'd have to let him know she was mourning Raj at some point, but the last time she'd done so he hadn't been too happy, and so she was understandably a little anxious to do so. They were normally a very happy, amicable couple, and very rarely argued, she didn't want to ruin the peace and harmony and the love. Hope whined quietly and leaned her head against the cool glass, watching the wall that now separated her and Wyatt, wondering exactly what he was looking for.

Wyatt reached into a wardrobe in the corner of the room and started searching the top shelf of it, rummaging through random old pyjamas and boxes of jewellery, photo albums and sentimental items. One in particular caught his attention. A leather-bound book, ivory in colour, fastened with a lilac ribbon and simply entitled "November 13th, 2011". He squinted a little and brought it down, closing the wardrobe doors. He wasn't sure why it called out to him in particular; there was just something about this album that looked more valuable, something about it that suggested it was well-kept and treated with more fondness than the others. He licked his lips with a deep frown, unlacing the ribbon from its bow and opening the front cover, alarmed at the the title taking up the first page inside with fancy script font:

"The Union of Raj Kherr & Hope Mikaelson." Plagued by his own curiosity, Wyatt flipped to the next page.

Hope's curiosity was beginning to gnaw at her, and as she was already on the subject of Raj, her mind skipped immediately to exactly what Wyatt could find in that room and so she got to her feet and ventured into the room. She froze in the door way, her eyes widened and she inhaled a sharp, deep breath, her heart began to pound out of her chest and lurched forward to try and take the photo album away from Wyatt, but he was too tall and too fast and so she didn't manage it,

"Wyatt- no-" She cried out, trying desperately to seize the album and get it away from him before it was too late, "Don't read that." She begged him, panic pounding through her system. Trepidation quickly turned into a full on freak out inside of her.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at Hope, her reaction only serving to further fuel his suspicion and the discomfort bubbling up inside of him. This didn't sit well with him at all. Her panic and the trepidation within her only served to rile him up further. He gave her a cold look, throwing a hand out to her in a manner that signaled for her to stop, and then he glanced back down at the photo album, flipping through more and more pages. Every single one of them. Hope and Raj. Hope and Raj with their friends. Hope and Raj with family. Heck, even Rebekah was in a couple of them. Wyatt swallowed past the rising lump in his throat. Nope. He wasn't happy at all.

Hope whimpered and put a hand to her head, hiding her eyes. This was the worst case scenario. She should have told him. She should have. She had no idea why she hadn't. Hope took a hesitant step forward but immediately stopped herself and took a bigger step back. She kept going to say things but couldn't find anything to make it okay. This was her mistake. Hope hugged herself and chewed nervously on her nails, watching him as he flicked through the album. She couldn't calm herself down but she couldn't make herself do anything else either.

Wyatt eventually found that he'd had enough and slammed the wedding album closed with no regard for its sentiment nor its condition; he was too angry to care, too angry to even pretend that he gave a fuck. Instead, he threw it aggressively - though luckily for Hope, it only hit the headboard of the bed in the room and landed on the pillows.

"What the fuck was that?!" He asked in a seething yell, expression purely made up of anger. Hope staggered backwards, completely unprepared for the sheer rage he was expressing. Surely it didn't warrant that? She blinked, a little perplexed but more bewildered than anything,

"That-" she began, but had no idea how to even begin to explain why she hadn't told him she'd been married, "That was-" she began again but had to stop as it felt like her insides were twisting and coming up through her throat. She took a deep breath, and then tried to calm herself before answering, "That was my wedding album." She told him solemnly, bravely. Hope couldn't look him in the eyes and so averted her gaze as far as she dared to. Wyatt shook his head rapidly and kicked a box out of his way. He didn't know what was in it; he didn't care. It was just there. Storming out of the room past her, he slammed his way downstairs into the living room.

"You didn't think to tell me?!" He demanded, pacing the living room, trying to refrain from lashing out. "MARRIED, HOPE?! MARRIED? ARE YOU STILL MARRIED?! WHAT IS THIS?"

Hope didn't want to, but she had no choice but to follow him, trying to intercept him with words, but he was in too much of a rage to even acknowledge what she was trying to say. She waited until he was finished yelling and was now waiting for her answer,

"No! I- He died, Wyatt! You know he died!" She wasn't yelling, she was too scared to yell, "I was seventeen years old and he was dying and so we got married!" She confessed, her tone distressed and filled with pain. She hated talking about this. Wyatt whirled around to face Hope with a bewildered expression. Being who he was, he genuinely couldn't understand sentimental value, holding onto memories, all of those uncannily human traits. He threw his arms out with a psychotic sounding laugh.

"SO?!" He yelled. "What, do you still love him?!" When Hope struggled to answer him, his eyes widened further, eyebrows raising higher. "DO YOU?!"

Hope had no hesitation about her answer. No. She didn't love Raj. She'd moved on from that a long time ago. She was only fearful to actually answer him in the state he was in. She backed up from him slowly, holding her hands up as a form of defense,

"No." She choked out, shaking her head, "But I did and that's reality. I never got closure because he died the very same day we got married. So no, I do not still love him! I'm just in mourning!" She knew he wouldn't understand, but she was telling him the truth, and she didn't have any other explanation. Wyatt rolled his eyes so hard that they might have almost been in danger of falling out of his head. He scoffed and threw his arm out, knocking several ornaments from the mantelpiece and a couple of photo frames as well.

"IF YOU DON'T LOVE HIM, WHY WERE YOU BEING SECRETIVE?!" He spat, taking two long strides towards her in his anger before pausing and making himself avert his direction. "YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THIS LAST YEAR, HOPE! BUT YOU DIDN'T! AND NOW YOU'RE MOPING OVER SOME DEAD HUSBAND AND KEEPING YOUR PHOTOS WITH HIM IN A FANCY LITTLE BOOK, HIDDEN AWAY IN OUR HOME?" Wyatt let out a maniacal little laugh and curled his hands into fists, voice becoming deathly low as he turned to glare at Hope.

"Why hide it? Why lie? If there's nothing there, why couldn't you tell me? You're supposed to be marrying me. For better or for worse. People who get married tell the truth to each other. Can I trust you?" Wyatt's eyes darkened considerably, tendrils under his eyes crawling. "'Cause I'm not so sure."

Hope was trembling at this point. She'd never seen him like this towards her before. She had no idea how to handle it. She sniffed and shook her head, trying to put together what she was going to say to him, she looked away and then back to him,

"It's not... I was married to him for all of four hours. I don't even think of it as being married. I repressed the memories and I ignored them. It's not... It's not something that means all that much to me because I cut off my emotions in connection to it a long time ago. I was too young to deal with it when it happened and I've only recently found the maturity needed to deal with the grief," she gestured aimlessly as she paused, trying to find the words, "It's the only thing that I can't talk about. It pains me too much. It hurts. It doesn't mean I love him, and in fact it really doesn't. I'm in love with you, and yes, I am marrying you and you can trust me." She took a much needed breath, putting a hand to her chest. Wyatt was hearing it, but he wasn't really listening to what she had to say. He was all very much caught up in his jealousy and his wrath. He could feel the pulse in his body thumping way too noticeably for a vampire, hard and fast under his skin to the point where he could've sworn his heart tried to beat like it once had when he was human again. He took a deep breath, feeling his resentment fuse into blood lust; the fangs in his gums pressed to be released. He was livid.

"WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU?!" He screamed, the shift in his face taking over. Hope froze. This was bad. This was the worst possible thing that could happen. She stared at him in horror for a few seconds, not wanting to move because she knew how much he loved the chase. Her eyes darted up towards the ceiling. Their babies were sleeping upstairs. The babies were upstairs. She had to contain this or at least make it safe for them, no matter the sacrifice. She exhaled slowly through her nose and then steeled her nerves, she approached him slowly, making sure her hair was covering her neck, and dropped her mental block, showing him the entire story, showing she was telling the truth,

"Wyatt." She tried to reach out to him, her tone was soothing but her voice was shaky and she was quite clearly terrified, although she showed no sign of it in her stance or movements, it was in her eyes. Wyatt glared at her, but, really, Wyatt wasn't in there at that moment. Wyatt wasn't home. It was the ripper. He stared at Hope, his fangs pushing his mouth half open, tip of his tongue running over the backs of his teeth. Every word from her mouth was a muffled blank to him; all he could hear was the sound of her heart pumping blood through her body. He shook his head despairingly, only just enough recognition within him to have him refraining from the attack. Instead, he stormed out of the house in search of a fix. Maybe three. Hope flinched as the front door slammed shut, and then it was eerily quiet. She stood frozen in her place for a while, and then her entire body started to shake and she had a minor break down. She cried for a few hours, her own cries mingling in with that of the babies upstairs, who clearly knew something was wrong. She sniffed and took a moment to get herself together before blurring upstairs to tend to Cassia and Jakobe. She stayed in the room with them until they were settled before wandering into her shared room with Wyatt. Hope was admittedly exhausted, but there was this heaviness in her chest, a numbing feeling all throughout. She sniffed again and kept the misery stifled, slipping out of her own clothes and pulling on one of his shirts. She tucked herself up, all curled up on her own in their giant bed and after an very extended period of not being able to sleep, she finally managed to slip into a state of sleep. Wyatt returned home sometime in the middle of the night. He slipped into the house silently and made his way into the kitchen. His shirt was covered in blood and there were some gaps in his memory; he'd blacked out a lot, but he was vaguely sure he hadn't left a trail of bodies to be found. Blood was smeared around his chin and his mouth, and he wasn't really sure what to do with himself now. He still felt a simmering burn of jealousy and anger, but he'd calmed considerably. Sighing, Wyatt took a seat on the stool at the breakfast bar and simply sat in silence. Hope had a very restless sleep. She wasn't even sure if she had slept at all. Eventually, something caused her to sit straight up in the bed, some kind of disturbance in the silence and heaviness of the atmosphere in the house. She knew it was him even before she checked. It was his scent, mixed in with a lot of blood, his heartbeat, his telltale noises. She sighed lightly and slipped out of bed, still only wearing his shirt, and made her way down to meet him in the kitchen. She didn't care if he hated her, she needed to make sure he was okay. Wyatt sensed Hope shuffling around upstairs but found himself rather distant and numb to it. He didn't respond until she entered the kitchen, and then he only turned himself away. He was covered in blood, and he didn't feel like another fight. He sighed and stood up, moving over to the sink and clasping its edges with a tight, white-knuckled grip, head dropped down between his shoulders. Hope hesitated in the doorway but knew that if she left him alone right now he would only grow more and more distant from her. Their arguments were the type that worsened if you left them to try and fix themselves. There was a time previous in which they didn't speak to each other for close to two weeks. She couldn't go through that again, she bowed her head as she approached him,

"Wyatt?" She asked, wondering if he would even speak to her. Hope would never know unless she tried, "I'm sorry." She offered. Wyatt shifted a little in his stance but didn't do much more. He neither made a move towards her nor made any move to put a further distance between them; he simply remained where he was standing. A small grunt of disinterested sort of acknowledgement escaped him; he nodded his head ever so slightly but his eyes were fixed on something outside through the window. Hope sighed and then nodded, tucking her hair back behind her ears, and then swiveled on her heels, turning to walk away and go back upstairs,

"You can have our room. I'll sleep in my old one." She informed him as she left, knowing he would catch it. It seemed unfair that he should always be the one to have to sleep somewhere else whenever they fought. And besides, this one was definitely her fault. Hope would be the one to sleep elsewhere for this one. Wyatt glanced over his shoulder and stopped her, shaking his head. He licked his bloodstained lips and pushed away from the sink, tucking his hands into his pockets and finally turning around to face her.

"No," he said, the first word he'd spoken since returning. His voice was low and husky, and his eyes were dark. "I won't be sleeping tonight. Just go back to bed," he told her quietly.


	20. Twenty: Adelaide

Hope had the feeling that someone was either watching her or following her and seeing as the twins weren't with her, she wasn't too bothered by it, but it made her skin crawl and so she addressed it. She turned on her heel and stopped walking, flaring her nostrils slightly and scanned the small crowd for anyone out of place or too in place. There was no-one that grabbed her attention and so she rid her mind of the plaguing thoughts and accepted a call from Wyatt. She only managed to say hello to him when she was suddenly approached by an extremely good looking woman, who was staring intently at her phone. Hope answered her odd questions, although she wasn't sure why she had- perhaps it was because she had been caught off guard. She said goodbye to the woman, kind of dazed, and returned to her phone call with Wyatt,

"Uh, hey-"

Wyatt squinted a little as he listened in on the weird conversation Hope was having with somebody, wherever the heck she was. His brow furrowed intently as he remained silent as the two women exchanged awkward communication. He licked his lips and looked off out of the window, deep in thought whilst maintaining his attention. Where had he heard that voice before? He was certain that he'd recognised it. There was a distinct tone to it, a quality that had his skin crawling and his chest aching a little. When Hope returned to the conversation he'd been about to start with her, he immediately cut her off.

"Hope, who was that woman?" He asked, an almost urgency to his tone.

Hope made a strangely confused noise,

"I have no idea-" She replied, watching after the woman with an entirely dazed expression on her face, shaking her head slowly as she did so. Hope just sighed and turned back in the direction she was originally going, "Anyway, you called?" She reminded him distractedly, the crowd had thickened considerably, and she was now occupied with stifling her fears and weaving her way through it.

Wyatt let out an irritable sigh and tried to let it go, but the woman's voice was still niggling at the back of his mind.

"I don't know anymore..." he muttered, racking his brain for what he'd originally been calling her for. He glanced around the living room, wondering if there was anything in the room that'd trigger his memory; nothing came to mind. He huffed and rubbed his forehead, before finally something clicked. "Oh!" He exclaimed, hand flying up into the air. "Right, yes. The twins are out of baby food and they keep screaming. I fed them some of the formula milk stuff to sate them for a while but they're constantly hungry," he told her, muttering "fucking wolves" under his breath.

Hope grinned let out a small chuckle at his exasperation, immediately altering her course, heading for the nearest shop she knew to sell baby food,

"Love, you do realise you can make puree out of anything, right? Just put some vegetables or something in a blender and make sure it's smooth enough for them, and you should be good to go." She informed him. Hope had been about to say more but froze as she glanced over her shoulder and noticed the same woman had followed her into the shop, and was actually watching her, just within hearing distance.

Wyatt shook his head a little with a huff, glancing over at the twins who were sitting babbling in their high chairs and making a mess of their bibs with their own milky drool.

"The baby food has added nutrients for their development and stuff," he argued lightly. "Plus, the hard food is for the adults who are capable of chewing. Why should we starve because they get through, like, I don't even know- sixty pots of baby food a week?" He gave out an exasperated huff, glaring a little at the children - not meanly, of course. He loved them; he just also got very frustrated by their needs. "Why are babies so... fussy?"

Hope made a distracted agreeing noise and never actually answered his question, as she hadn't actually been paying attention. It was too late to pretend she hadn't noticed the woman behind her, and so she had to pretend like she hadn't found it to be anything more than a coincidence and gave her a smile before carrying on, putting a substantial amount of baby food in her basket. She licked her lips nervously and realised that the woman would have been able to hear Wyatt on the phone and so Hope had to reply in order to keep up the pretense that everything was fine,

"Uh, yeah..." She replied, still too distracted to remember what they had been talking about. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and moved over to get some diapers.

Wyatt frowned a little in concern and tilted his head somewhat, eyes becoming fixed on a certain spot in the open space before him as he concentrated, reaching out to Hope in his mind. Something was off; she was never this distracted, not like this, not in this way. It had him knocked off kilter a little, making him frown. He had the strangest feeling it was something to do with that woman.

"Hope. Come home," he said sharply, catching a brief image of someone in Hope's mind before the distance between them had caused everything to blur out of focus again. He had a bad feeling, however. "Come home. Now. Don't get followed."

Hope froze at the urgency in Wyatt's tone, her eyes widening. She glanced down to her shopping basket and then back to the lengthy queue and cursed under her breath. She growled lightly and concentrated very very hard. It would use a lot of her power but it could possibly save her. She glared at the woman now, abandoning the pretense, and weaved her way through aisles with her basket firmly in her hand, grabbing things they needed at home, and then, once she was sure no-one but the woman who was obviously stalking her could see her; Hope exhaled through her mouth and ended the call with Wyatt. She closed her eyes and drew from all of the power she had inside her. And for the first time ever, Hope teleported herself home, and very promptly fainted.

Wyatt paced around anxiously as he listened to the shuffling on the phone, wondering what on earth Hope could be doing and why the hell she wasn't responding to his demand. His eyes widened and he made an aborted flailing sort of movement when she hung up the call, only just refraining from throwing his phone at the wall. He did not have a good feeling at all. Wyatt startled when all of a sudden she appeared in a flash of light, and was quick to react when she and the shopping basket went keeling over; he grabbed her under the arms and caught the shopping basket, looking between her and the basket with a moment's pause caused by confusion, before he shook it off and abandoned the basket in favour of picking Hope up and laying her out on the sofa.

Hope blinked harshly with her eyes still closed, brow drawn together, she gave out a heavy sigh as she woke up. She wasn't sure she could actually move, but then a minimal bit of energy surged through her and she was able to sit up and prop herself up a little bit, eyes not opening fully. She vowed to never do that again, if possible. That was horrible. She finally managed to get her eyes properly open, and found the twins to be staring at her silently from their high chairs. She blinked at them and then glanced to the left and found herself to be level with Wyatt's leg, she followed the path of his leg up to the rest of him and blinked at him, too. She was way too exhausted to do anything more for the time being, and so she groaned lightly and put a hand to her temple, shaking her head slowly. That had better have been worth it.

Wyatt squinted down at her in concern, though after a quick scan through her mind once she was conscious again he sighed and shook his head a little. Bending down, he brushed his fingers through her hair and placed a kiss to her forehead, muttering against her skin, "Well, I'm glad you're okay, at least." He then stood up again and took the basket, moving into the kitchen to unpack the shopping, leaving two jars of baby food on the side so that he could feed the children properly.

Hope nodded vaguely and leaned back onto the sofa, her head resting on the arms, and crossed her legs casually at the ankles, folding her arms over her waist as she tried to summon the energy needed to actually get up. Why was she so pathetic? She sighed again and rubbed her face once over with her hands before running her fingers through her own hair, tucking it back behind hear ears. Hope looked back over to the twins and gave them a smile. She raised an eyebrow at the sudden feeling that ran through her and then her eyes widened and she looked sharply back up to the twins. She licked her lips and blurred over to them,

"Did you two just do that?" She questioned them in a murmur. There couldn't have been any other answer for it, surely? Did the twins just reinvigorate their own mother with their powers? Hope licked her lips and backed up a bit, the twins seemed completely unperturbed by their recent use of magic. Hope wasn't sure how to feel.

Wyatt was warming up the babies' food in the microwave in the kitchen when he heard Hope's murmuring. He frowned and squinted a little bit, wandering back into the living room and glancing between her and the twins curiously. What happened?

"Are you okay?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow up a little. The twins were just sitting there in their highchairs now, babbling away and kicking their chubby little baby legs about. Wyatt's face dropped into an expression of pure bemusement as Jakobe brought up a little of his milk and dribbled it not only onto his bib but onto the carpet from the way he was leaning. Grumbling, Wyatt fetched a cloth and returned to clean him up. He eyed Hope again, concerned for her. She was acting weird.

Hope shook her head slowly, backing up further, the twins kept their eyes on her no matter what they were doing now and it was unsettling to her. She hid her eyes behind her hands and then blurred over to hide behind Wyatt when she peeked and saw they were still staring at her,

"They just-" she wasn't sure how to explain what had just happened. It wasn't like it was unexpected, of course, as Hope herself had performed magic at such a young age herself, but it was just terrifying now that it was actually happening to her with her own children. Hope peered at them from behind Wyatt and whispered to him,

"They just did magic on me."

Wyatt raised his eyebrows and glanced back over his shoulder at Hope, and then down at his own children. He squinted a little, brow furrowed in contemplation. He was somewhere between alarm, confusion, and intrigue. Small babies doing magic already? Well, there was something.

"That's... is that normal for, well, tribrids?" He asked, glancing back around at Hope again. He turned around to face her instead, tilting his head to the side a little as he regarded her. "Did Nik ever say anything to you about doing that?"

Hope nodded slowly, dragging her eyes away from the twins to look at him,

"It's completely normal. I did it. I caused a car crash and set a number of buildings on fire at the same age." She answered as if it were a completely normal occurrence. She paused and wriggled her nose, realising she was contradicting her behaviour, "I just was not expecting this. It's different when it's your own children, especially when they perform magic on you." She moved out from behind him and wandered over to the twins again, squinting a little as she experimented with what they could do. She opened her palm a safe distance away from them and created a small flame in the palm, raising her eyebrow as it was almost immediately extinguished by Cassia and/or Jakobe. She had no way of telling which.

Wyatt nodded slightly in understanding as he listened to Hope, then turned on his heels as she moved past him and wandered over to the twins. He watched closely as she leaned over them and opened her palm, a small flame appearing on it. His eyebrows raised further up than they'd previously been when the flame was extinguished - judging by Hope's reaction, it'd definitely been one of the twins. He licked his lips and nodded to himself, impressed, when he heard the microwave beep, indicating that the twins' dinners were done, and in good timing, too, as Cassia had started to wail again. Wyatt sighed and made quick work of sticking plastic spoons into the bowls and returning to the living room, handing a bowl to Hope as he returned so that they could feed the babies together.

"So," Wyatt began as her perched himself on the arm of the settee and began blowing on a spoonful of baby food before he offered it to Cassia. "The woman. What did she look like?" He asked.

Hope grabbed a chair and settled down to start feeding Jakobe, blowing on the food and testing it on the back of her hand before offering it to her son. She let a moment or two of silence hang between them as she concentrated on remembering, and as she was a tribrid, her memory was flawless. She glanced to Wyatt as she summed up the mental image, watching him for his reaction for a few seconds before turning back to Jakobe, paying attention to him as he was clamouring for her to, and offering him another spoonful.

Wyatt furrowed his brow as he waited for Hope to bring to mind the image of the woman she'd seen, whilst scooping more food onto the spoon for Cassia. He was momentarily distracted by the way she happily gummed at the gloopy food, grinning a little and pulling a funny face at her, shaking his head, causing her to giggle a little as she swallowed it down. He offered her the spoon again, pleased when she accepted it more enthusiastically than the previous time. Upon returning his focus to Hope, Wyatt's smile slid off of his face and he froze up, a daunting look in his eyes.

Hope looked back up to Wyatt as he froze and then blinked, uncomprehending of what was going on,

"Honey?" She asked. She'd never seen that expression on his face before. Well, actually, she had, but it hadn't been since the- Oh, God. Since the PTSD episode. Hope blanked on what to do for a second before blurring into motion. She set Jakobe's food down on the little high chair table infront of him and gently prised Cassia's bowl from Wyatt's grip, doing the same. She sat on Wyatt's knee and cupped his face, drawing his attention to her by sending the tiniest of surges of energy through him,

"Wyatt." She called to him, her tone firm and demanding. It did the trick.

Wyatt could feel every muscle in his body lock up with dread and anxiety, and his mind was racing with a thousand images of her; the woman that took his heart right at a time when he could perhaps have been saved from himself, from the awful plague his life had been so far, and poisoned it with the black bleach of her betrayal when she sold him out for the simple fact that he was not among the living - as if he'd chosen to be that way. He was slipping, he could feel it, the paranoia, the pain sinking in, six years' worth of torture and the bone-deep sense of loneliness that slowly drove him mad, screaming out every night for some kind of saviour or opportunity that would surely never come. He blinked a little at the soft sound of a familiar voice calling his name, feeling hands on his face and little shocks of electric energy that had him snapping out of it. He let out a choked sort of exhale, looking up at Hope, a twist of agony in his despair-darkened eyes.

Hope's own face contorted in agonised, heartfelt pain for what the love of her life was going through. She hated seeing him like this. Not because it made her uncomfortable, but because it tore at the core of her. It made a part of her filled with raw fury and a need for vengeance. She wanted so very badly to make those that had hurt him to the extent and consequence of this, suffer in ways not even Wyatt had experienced. But for the most part, it killed her to see him go through so much pain, and there was only so much she could do to help him. There had been nights where he had woken the both of them up in a cold state, gasping and sometimes even crying, and it was unknown to her how long it would take her to calm him down when he did so. Sometimes she could do it in minutes, other times it took hours, and worst of all, sometimes she didn't manage to get him back to sleep at all. Hope bit down on her lip worriedly, her eyes flitting between Wyatt's as she used her powers to try and soothe him, to push the pain and the darkness from his mind. It was more effective, the more she was in contact with him, and so she leaned forward and kissed him very gently, stroking her hands along his temple and down the sides of his face, spreading the soothing, comforting feeling as much as she could. She held him until he calmed down, and continued to hold him afterwards.

Wyatt shook a little in Hope's hold, and somewhere at the back of his mind there was a niggle that the twins were down here, that they were seeing all of this, able to hear it, sense it, and he didn't like that one bit, the idea that he could be scarring their young, vulnerable minds without even meaning to, with something about himself that he couldn't control. That, on top of everything else, had him restlessly squirming in an attempt to free himself of Hope's grasp so that he could leave and deal with himself elsewhere (which roughly translated to waiting out his episode, because what else was he capable of doing?), but Hope kept him down and grounded him. The tender caress of her lips against his and the soothing stroke of her hands had his shoulders relaxing just slightly, though his mouth trembled against hers.

Hope pulled away slightly but remained close enough to offer comfort with her proximity,

"Stay calm and still and the twins won't even know anything's happened. Trust me, love. You've seen into their minds, right? They don't focus on much more than the food infront of them." She never stopped with the use of her powers to effectively calm him, and continued to do so until he'd stopped trembling completely. She waited patiently for him to be as okay as he could be, given the circumstances, before saying anything else. She didn't want to overwhelm him, "It's okay." She told him sincerely, looking him in the eyes as she did so.

Wyatt nodded a little and glanced at Hope, offering her a weak smile. He sighed and rested his head against her collarbone for a moment, closing his eyes and simply breathing. His jaw muscles twitched and clenched, nostrils flaring a little as he tried to keep each breath relatively steady, inhaling Hope's scent and using it to help calm himself down. He slowly wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her a little higher on his lap, wanting her closer.

"She's supposed to be dead," he whispered.

Hope nodded slowly, resting her chin on top of his head lightly, stroking through his hair with one hand, stroking down his spine with the other, soothingly on both ends. She had no idea who this woman was or what she meant to Wyatt, but she figured now wasn't the time for questions, now was a time for being a stable and comforting presence, and it would be better for him to not have to think about the whole thing more than he needed to. She tried to think of something to say that wouldn't trigger him, but couldn't come up with anything that would do any good. She merely closed her mouth again and leaned down a little, tilting her head so that she could rest her cheek on Wyatt's head, continuing the soothing motions. She hummed vaguely, wriggling her nose as she kept her gaze on the wall furthest away from them, examining the happenings outside through the window.

Wyatt nuzzled his head against her shoulder a little, tilting it up so that he could bury his face into her neck. He peeped over her shoulder, eyes opening for a moment, and looked at the twins. They'd found entertainment in feeding themselves, it seemed, getting their hands and arms and faces all sticky with a mess of baby food, babbling and laughing at each other, blowing spit bubbles. Wyatt grimaced somewhat, but at least they were distracted - and it was kind of cute. With a final deep sigh, Wyatt pulled back a little, drawing his head away from Hope so he could sit straight and look at her.

"Thanks," he mumbled, avoiding eye contact with her. Even after all this time, having had her help him with so many episodes and almost-episodes, it still made him uncomfortable to lose control in front of her; there was still a certain degree of shame to be felt for having those attacks at all. And it's not like there was a supernatural psychiatrist anywhere to help him. No, he'd be plagued with this for the rest of his eternal life.

Hope sighed somewhat sadly and nodded, she looked at him for a moment longer to make sure he was okay and then extracted herself from him, she moved back over to the twins. She blinked at them and stood there for a second just watching them before blurring off into the kitchen to grab two of the ever present pile of flannels they now kept by the sink at all times, wetting both with some warm water, she walked back out at human speed and rolled her sleeves up, sighing lightly again as she got to work on cleaning them up. She glanced down to the bowls their food was in, and it actually seemed they had managed to feed themselves for the most part. There wasn't much of the food covering them, and so Hope cleaned them up and then set about feeding them both their respective remainders. She let Wyatt stay sat and get himself together again, and honestly she didn't mind, she just hated the vibe she always got that he didn't appreciate her helping him. Hope raised an eyebrow at Cassia as the baby made an aggressive grab for Hope's hair and then sighed and couldn't help the small smile that took precedence on her features. Cassia was obsessed with her hair. Hope leaned down so that Cassia could reach and tug on it and allowed her to do so until it began to hurt.

Wyatt eyed Hope and watched her closely, almost speculatively, 'til he snapped himself out of the fixated state he'd fallen into. He did that a lot when these things happened to him - either zoned out or fixated on something without being consciously aware of it. He sniffed a little, wiping at his cheeks. He hadn't noticed the gloss of tears that'd escaped his eyes during his little flashback. He worked his jaw a little, staring off into space, a furrow to his brow. He hated this. Hated doing this. Hated being like this. So weak, so vulnerable to his own mind. He could play all the mind games he wanted to, could control an entire room of people, but in the end it didn't matter if he was his own biggest weakness. Shaking his head, Wyatt rubbed at his eyes almost violently before sniffing and getting up, going into the kitchen. He set about making a drink for himself and Hope, an Americano for himself and a mocha for her. He figured, winter setting in and all, that such would be her preferred drink right now.

Hope was squinting a little at her daughter now, eyeing her in her high chair, standing closer to her son now as she brought a hair band over to her using her powers. She manipulated her hair smoothly into a side plait, and unstrapped both of the twins from their high chairs and let them down, they could both walk now and as they'd taken the precaution of baby proofing everything and putting some carpets and baby toys around, it was fine to let Cassia toddle around. Hope had tried to set Jakobe down, but he was apparently in a clingy mood and wouldn't let her, and so she rested her tiny son on her hip, bouncing him around lightly as she strolled about, humming lightly. There was a moment when Hope did wonder if Jakobe was going to go for her hair, too, but luckily he wasn't like his sister, and merely seemed to be admiring it. Hope opened her mouth to comment on Cassia's walking skills when suddenly the phone rang. This horrible, cold kind of foreboding shiver ran down Hope's spine and she swiveled with Jakobe to stare at the phone in it's cradle for a second before blurring over just before it was due to go through to voicemail, and put it to her ear, pressing the accept call button. She licked her lips and cleared her throat before speaking,

"Hello?" And she was right in her suspicions, though they hadn't registered as existent in her mind. Hope had known it would be her.

Wyatt licked his lips and focused intently on making the drinks, trying to avoid letting his mind wander. He could hear Hope in the living room playing around with the twins, and the sound of his family's combined heartbeats; that put him at ease a little more. He glanced at the kettle as the switch flicked up, telling him the water had boiled, and made a swift grab for it, teaspoon already at the ready so he could stir Hope's mocha properly, as letting the liquid settle for even a few seconds usually gave way for lumps. He stiffened when the phone rang, able to sense both Hope's negative vibes and also his own paranoia creeping up on him. His spine was rigid as he took the finished coffees and stiffly walked back into the living room with them in his grasp, eyeing Hope as she answered the phone uneasily. The sound of Adelaide's voice on the other end had his stomach rolling, knocking him sick. Wyatt was big on names, particularly their name meaning. Adelaide. Noble kind/sort/type. He'd spent decades afterwards torturing himself over her deception, and furthermore the deception of her name. He'd been a fool to trust, to put his heart into what he had with her. Sometimes her name would roll off his tongue in the night when he got bad, and it was like spitting globs of thickened battery acid, the way it burned his insides and left a sour taste in his mouth.

Hope's fingers curled rigidly around the phone and she listened for a bit, not answering straight away,

"How did you get this number?" She asked suddenly. The woman on the other end had been rambling on aimlessly with a well rehearsed story, a reason for her to be calling. She tried to convince Hope that she'd left keys behind, or something. Hope frowned and reached into her pocket, and brought her keys out. She blinked at them and then her frown turned more suspicious. She let the woman go on for a bit about researching her name, which had been on her keys. Hope's name was not on her keys. She glanced down to Jakobe and then over to Wyatt, she paused when she saw Wyatt, saw how much the call seemed to be affecting him, and then her suspicion turned to one of firm anger,

"Look, you don't have my keys. I've got them right here. No-" She sighed and let her speak for a bit longer, the other woman was very good at dominating conversations, "Right. Sorry, but whatever it is you want; I can't give it to you. Please never call this number again." She ended the call abruptly and set it back down on the cradle. Hope began to move towards Wyatt to console him when the phone rang again. She froze.

Wyatt's eyes were glued to the phone as Hope spoke to Adelaide. Her voice was the same as it had been back then, although it wasn't like he had expected it to be different; he hadn't even expected her to still be alive, just another part of his past, dead and gone. Why was it that all the bad memories came back to haunt him? Why did she have to still be alive? Why couldn't it be his brother instead? Wyatt knew he was no saint. He knew he was the polar opposite. But surely, he did good things sometimes, didn't he? Enough to warrant the return of his brother? He'd never done a bad deed unprompted. He always had motivation. Always, always. No one else ever understood his motives, called him psychotic. That was their problem, not his. For once, why couldn't it be his brother? Wyatt shook his head urgently when the phone started ringing again after Hope had set it down. He hadn't even been aware that the conversation had ended, he'd been so wrapped up in his memories. His hands were shaking so much that he was surprised to find he'd only slopped a little bit of the drinks, and he set them down quickly, suddenly bursting into action.

"Don't answer it, don't answer it!" He urged frantically, flashing over to Hope and grabbing her wrists in his hands, wide-eyed in his desperation, not meaning for his grip to be as rough as it was. "I can't hear her voice- I can't-"

Hope was glad she'd put Jakobe down, as the pain that flashed through her as Wyatt gripped her would certainly have prompted her to drop him. She cried out in pain as he unintentionally crushed the bones in her wrists and she recoiled from him once he had finally let go, gritting her teeth in pain. She stopped only when her back hit the wall, and she whined in pain as the fast healing decided to suddenly kick in, and she rolled and checked her wrists had healed properly before looking back up to him, her eyes flashing to the phone. The damn phone. It was still ringing. She narrowed her eyes at it. Hope sighed and turned her attention to Wyatt,

"Okay. Who the hell was that?" She asked him, her tone was distressed and somewhat terse. He never hurt her. Whoever this woman was to him, it was so bad that he'd hurt Hope.

Wyatt stared down at the point of contact with a blankness to his expression that suggested he'd shocked himself, not just Hope. He flexed his fingers outwards when she'd freed herself of him, staring down at his own hands. He was having difficultly processing that that'd actually just happened, that he'd done that to her. It'd been so long since he'd physically hurt her. A good streak ruined because of him being so fucking pathetic that a woman's voice had him shaken to the very core of his barren soul. He grimaced at the sounds of her bones crunching back into place, not because the sound in itself bothered him but because he was the reason she'd had to heal them in the first place. He glanced up at her, then. The phone was still ringing. The phone was still ringing. The phone was still. Fucking. Ringing. In a flash, Wyatt had taken the phone and thrown it out of the living room, sending it smashing into hundreds of little broken pieces and shards against the wall of the foyer. His chest heaved on a deep inhale, before he glanced back at Hope from over his shoulder. He looked at her for a moment, before licking his lips and nodding a little to himself. He sighed heavily, shaking his head as he rubbed at his eyes and tried to avoid letting himself become absorbed by another memory.

"She was my first real love," he told her emptily, lifting his head to meet her gaze with his own. "And the reason I spent six years of day-in, day-out torture and loneliness. Experiments. Starvation. Whatever cruelty or lab experiment you could think of and worse."

Hope let out a shaky breath and raked her hands through her hair, she leaned back against the wall again and hid her face in her hands briefly as she let out an aggravated sound. She removed her hands and simply stared at him for a few moments, before she disappeared to put the twins back in their cot upstairs, and returned to the living room again, closing the door behind her a lot harder than she'd meant to. She crossed her arms over her chest and licked her lips, and then glanced up to the man that was to be her husband,

"What does she want, then? You?" She asked grimly, the distress was written all over her face and in the way she held herself and it was leaking into her tone, too. She kept her distance from him now, and wouldn't let him near her. It was just like back when he'd bitten her at the start of their relationship.

Wyatt wrung his hands nervously in front of himself and hung his head, shrugging his shoulders lamely. He couldn't look up at her, couldn't maintain eye contact. He could see the way she was reacting to him, the differences, could feel it - it was painfully obvious. He didn't like it at all, it only worsened the sense of dread and the weight in the hollow of his chest and the bottom of his stomach. He was visibly slumping with it, backtracking until he reached the other side of the room where he leaned back against the wall for support. He sighed and shook his head, staring determinedly at the floor.

"I can't see that being it," he said numbly, his voice a little scratchy and raw with the restraint he was withholding to avoid breaking down again. "She sold me out when she found out what I was. And now, I assume, she's exactly the same as what I am. Maybe she hates it and she's come looking for vengeance? I don't know. I never fed her my blood. She wouldn't want me. The only thing she'd be here for... probably to kill me. Finish the job they couldn't. I broke out and massacred the lot of them. Maybe she was close to some of them." Wyatt shrugged again, at a loss. Talking about this was exhausting.

Hope bit her lip and watched him, she fidgeted about a little but didn't move forward until he slumped back against the wall. Fuck her petty fears. Wyatt had definitely had it worse. She slipped under his arm and propped him up, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, inhaling his scent, there was a disctinctly worrisome edge to it, and it upset her. This woman was as good as dead. If it was true that she was here to try and murder her Wyatt, then she was sure to meet a fate worse than death. Hope would rather die herself before allowing that to happen. She glanced up to Wyatt and studied his expression, giving him a reassuring smile when he looked at her, she cupped his face and swiped her thumb gently across his cheekbone to remove a tear,

"It's going to be okay." She informed him gently, and there was such conviction and faith in her tone that she surprised even herself, "We're always okay." She whispered, her voice a little hoarse, and nodded absently. She brought a cold touch to her palm with her powers and smoothed it gently across his forehead, trying to calm him down a little, "She won't even get close enough to touch you, and if she does... Well, perhaps she's not the only one who could aim to exact her vengeance in this situation?" Hope sniffed lightly and shrugged a little, his weight on her shoulders didn't bother her. She was used to having him there by now, and as long as it kept him standing and kept him okay, then it was something she was fine to carry.

Wyatt stiffened a little at first when she approached him, unsure of himself and of her intentions. When she slipped under his arm and wrapped her arms around his body, a small part of him settled and he sighed deeply, leaning into her. Her thoughts were particularly loud again, and he couldn't help the weak huff of laughter that escaped him - not of amusement, but more of a relieved sort of noise, a sense of, "look, stupid, she's not going anywhere". He nodded a little as he listened to her, tilting his head into her hand when she smoothed her cool palm over his forehead. He licked his lips, biting down on the bottom one. Eventually, he straightened up a little and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her into his chest, cradling her there, both providing and seeking the support they each needed.

Hope sighed in exhausted relief and buried her face into and against his chest at the same time,

"What if she tries to go for the twins?" She asked in a horrified whisper, her deepest fears spoken aloud for the first time. She trembled a little at the thought of that, but decided that she would never ever be anywhere near a situation where that would be the case. Adelaide would be long dead before it could ever reach that point. Hope turned her head so that her face was closer to his and then she spoke again, "We need to seek her out before she comes to the house. She can't come to the house. Our children are here, Wyatt." She whispered urgently.

Wyatt shook his head hastily when Hope voiced that fear, a dark expression on his face that had his eyes blackening as he looked down at Hope. He nodded his head a little in agreement to Hope's following sentence, bringing a hand to her cheek and cupping it, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, looking her dead in the eyes.

"I wouldn't let that vile bitch anywhere near our children," he hissed, teeth gritting a little as he spoke, fangs pushing from his gums slightly at the mere idea alone. The thought of it made him feel murderous. "I'd sooner rip her head from between her shoulders and spill the contents of her body over the ground. She will desecrate and become a meal for termites before she comes within a foot of our children. I swear to God." The tension in Wyatt's body had doubled, tendrils of black trickling under his skin.

Hope licked her lips and shivered a little in fear, but she stood her ground and didn't flinch away from him. It wasn't aimed at her, it was a reassurance to her. Their babies would be safe. She let out an exhale and nodded, more confident now, and leaned up a little, doing what she always did to bring him back to stability, and kissed him. She kissed him until she felt the fangs slide back up into his gums, and kept a finger tracing the veins under his eyes until she could no longer feel that they were there, and then she removed herself from him, gently, and blurred away to her coat, grabbing her phone. She called Klaus and Boone and her Uncle Elijah, and then, after a moments hesitation, called her Aunt Rebekah alone. Hope would have called more people to come and watch the twins while they went out to take care of Adelaide, but time was of the essence, and three originals and a somewhat cocky hybrid was more than enough. Hope sniffed a little and took a moment to take a deep breath before grabbing her leather jacket, returning to Wyatt,

"Where do we look?"

Wyatt kissed her back in a soft, languid sort of manner. He leaned into her touch some more, inhaling her scent and feeling himself relax, tilting his head into the kiss with a gently appreciative noise. He huffed when she blurred away from him, then cast his eyes over to the twins. He sniffed a little and ran his hands down the front of his shirt, straightening out the small crumples and creases that'd appeared with everything that'd happened. He glanced over at the coffee on the side table and grumbled, going over and grabbing his Americano. It was just warm, so he took the mug and necked it back in one go; he didn't like to waste anything, especially not coffee. He set the empty mug down afterwards and moved to grab his leather jacket, shrugging it on and zipping it up before walking over to the twins. He cupped their faces in his larger hands, brushing his thumbs across their cheeks as he glanced between them.

"Papa loves you," he said softly, pressing a kiss to each twin's forehead, before leaning back again. "Je vais toujours vous protéger. Je vous aime tous les deux." He glanced up as Hope approached him again, shrugging a little as he licked his lips. "Do a locator spell," he said simply.

Hope eyed him, she was all tense and anxious, but made the effort to relax for the sake of the twins, and sighed,

"I can't. I don't have anything that means anything to her-" She began, but then wriggled her nose a little, and tilted her head at Wyatt as if in contemplation, "Actually..." She mused, and grabbed his hand, tugging him over and sitting him down on the sofa. She moved away from him and imitated him by drinking her mocha in one go, making a small sound before putting it back down on the side. Hope tucked her hair back behind her ears and took her turn to say her goodbye to the twins,

"Hey, babies..." She murmured, stroking their hair back from their respective foreheads, she offered Jakobe a finger to curl his little hand around, and leaned down so Cassia could pull on her hair, "I love you both more than my own life." She murmured to them sincerely, watching them, "Nothing will ever hurt you. I promise. Mummy and Daddy will keep you safe. Cassia, take care of your brother. Jakobe... take care of your sister and make sure she doesn't pull your Great Aunt Rebekah's hair out." She gave them both a soft, loving smile before kissing them both on the cheek and returning to Wyatt. She took a seat next to him and produced a knife from her pocket, she gave him a look when he questioned it and teleported the map to them from the wall, she took hold of his hand and closed her eyes. Hope spoke the words necessary for the spell, using Wyatt as the thing Adelaide regarded as a possession. It worked. Hope frowned at that and gritted her teeth, but continued with the spell. She never opened her eyes while she brought the knife up and sliced it across her own palm. She winced a little as she did so, but it was a small price to pay. She opened her eyes finally, and pointed at where the blood had all collected,

"There."

Wyatt made a noise of confusion as Hope tugged him across the room and pushed him to sit down on the sofa. He squinted a little and gave her a funny look, arms thrown out to the side a little as he watched her neck down her mocha and interact with the twins. What the hell? That was- Well, one might appreciate an explanation, he thought sarcastically to himself, quickly dismissing the thought before she got a grip on his aura - because he apparently radiated sass - and read his mind. He licked his lips and sighed, though it all became clear when she sat down and took a blade to his palm, letting him bleed onto the map. That made his insides churn, already-death cold temperature dropping further at the thought of her regarding him as a possession after all this time. What, how could that be so? Call him old fashioned, but in the time in which they lived when they were together, it was the opposite way around - men were not the possessions of women. How could she have deluded herself like that, Wyatt wondered. He scowled, a mixture of discomfort, anxiety and anger settling in as the blood moved across the page.

"Right," he said testily, flashing away and returning seconds later with two freshly sharpened stakes, handing one to Hope. "Let's murder my ex girlfriend - there's a sentence I never thought I'd say."

Hope grinned and accepted the stake, weighing it up in her hand briefly before looking over to the map to memorise where they needed to go. She paid the twins one last look and then left the house, trusting that Wyatt was following her. The fact that she could hear/sense/smell him doing so assured her of that moments later. She contemplated running the whole way there, but it was still daylight, and they'd need to reserve their energy. Hope jumped in the car and waited for Wyatt to join her before setting off. They arrived at their destination a lot quicker than Hope expected they would, although she'd blanked out somewhat during the drive there, going into a mode that was best described as auto pilot. She got out of the car and didn't bother locking it. They were outside a mansion of all places, with gates like their own house had. Hope didn't like this. Wyatt's ex girlfriend was rich. Well, then. She huffed and moved over to be at Wyatt's side as they approached the door. Hope didn't even bother to suggest knocking, and kicked the door in instead. They might as well announce their presence. She was sure the creepy bitch would be expecting them anyway. Hope narrowed her eyes as she examined the interior, moving closer to Wyatt,

"It would be too good to be true to assume she's here all alone."

Wyatt glanced around and took note of the scenery and their route as they traveled; he was good at memorizing locations and journey paths. Often it proved helpful for him to pay attention to them, as a way out was always a good option. He spied a few exit points and hide outs - you could never be sure that magic wouldn't fail you outside of attack when engaged in combat. He glanced over at Hope as she got out of the car once they arrived and sighed heavily at the sight of the mansion. Really, how had he not encountered her before now and how, exactly, had she gotten this wealthy? She must have compelled people and stolen, surely. Or perhaps the mansion wasn't hers. Either way, it didn't matter. He was here to kill her, no matter what her intentions were. As they bust in, he sniffed the air a little and concentrated on listening for any voices or thoughts. He glanced down at Hope as she drew closer to him, shrugging as she spoke.

"You don't know her," he whispered. "She's very cocky, almost arrogant with her confidence. It was one of the things that got me hooked; I was like a little boy, drawn in by this idea of someone who was mature enough to handle themselves - even though she was much younger than me, by nearly a century."

Hope frowned and scrunched up her nose, her mouth drawing into a grim line,

"I get it, I get it. Enough." She shook her head minimally and glanced into rooms as they passed them. There was this almost sickeningly sweet smell of perfume that wafted about the place. Hope almost gagged. It was close to overhelming. She strayed away from Wyatt to check rooms by herself, but moved back over to him, quickly drawing up a good guess of where she'd be,

"I'm guessing the bedroom. Dramatic, familiar to her, desirable connotations to what she wants, etcetera..." She listed off, and began up the stairs, gripping her stake a little tighter. Hope was right, of course. She could sense the bitch's presence in the room ahead of her. She pushed down on the handle and swung the door open,

"Helloooo." Hope called, a fake and cheery, pleasant facade taking over as she strolled in, "You left your keys." She said, her tone dangerously low, she let her tribrid eyes flash at the woman, grinning at the fear she saw in her eyes.

Wyatt gave Hope an apologetic sort of look and glanced up at the ceiling, hearing some shuffling going on upstairs. He cocked his head to the side a little, arching an eyebrow, when Hope returned to his side and listed off possible, plausible explanations for Adelaide's whereabouts within the household, sounding akin to a detective summing up evidence to form a case.

"Very impressive," Wyatt muttered, before Hope had taken off up the stairs. He followed after her with a certain degree of wariness to his steps. Certain as he was that this needed to be done, and as much as he wanted to do it, he didn't know how hard seeing her face was going to hit. It made him more cautious than Hope was, but still he appeared behind her after she made her entrance.

Hope glanced back to Wyatt, she was used to him taking over in these situations, and so waited for him to talk or do anything. He didn't however, and didn't seem to even be able to function very well. She narrowed her eyes minutely at the way Adelaide was looking at him and hit her with a pretty harsh aneurysm, just to be spiteful. Somehow, she managed to struggle her way through it and launched herself at Hope,

"Oh, fuck-" Hope exclaimed and only allowed herself to be pinned and scratched across the face. She held Adelaide at bay, and burnt her with her touch, using her powers to do so. She eyed the fangs Adelaide had brought our to attack her with and then a thought came to her. Hope smirked a little and then brought out her own fangs. She dropped her defence for a brief moment, and Adelaide took the bait. Hope moved swiftly forwards and bit the vampire. One bite would be all it would take. Hope wiped her mouth on her sleeve and watched in bemused satisfaction as Adelaide screamed at the burning sensation the werewolf nature of the bite had left her with. She now had two or three days, if they didn't manage to kill her today.

Wyatt was planning to jump in, but the moment he stepped forward to do so, he got a clear visual of Hope's thoughts, and instead he stepped back; if he'd been in his usual mindset, he'd perhaps have smirked - but this was an entirely different situation. Instead, he looked on with a quiet sort of satisfaction that was rather dulled by the overwhelming slam of emotions that seeing her face had brought to the surface: anger, rage, hurt, betrayal, pain, self-loathing. Her face was exactly as it had been; the only difference to her appearance at all, in fact, was that her hair was now longer, a more modern style to it. It'd been in a tight bob of curls the last time he'd seen her, typical for the fashion of the decade. Wyatt glanced down at Hope and held his hand out for her to take, before looking back at a hissing, spitting Adelaide.

"What purpose do you serve here?" He questioned her, word formal and tone as assertive as he could make it given the circumstances.

Hope accepted his hand and moved to his side, interlacing their fingers. She put a hand to her face to check that the scratch all across it had healed up. It had. Hope relaxed somewhat and looked at Wyatt as he talked. He looked so much unlike himself but at the same time he looked like himself in the sense that he looked like he had the upperhand and like he was in control. Hope reluctantly moved her attention over to the now very dishevelled Adelaide, taking comfort in looking pridefully down at the bite on her neck instead of at her obnoxious face. Hope's eyebrow raised of it's own accord as Adelaide stated she was here for Wyatt. Her teeth gritted and her jaw clenched and a surge of anger and jealousy flourished inside of her as Adelaide claimed to love him. She tensed up completely and glared at Adelaide now. It gave her some form of satisfaction, though it was dully noted, that the vampire was now avoiding looking at her. She tilted her head at her competition and examined her closely. Hope made an unhappy, discontented kind of sound. She understood how Wyatt could get as possessive as he did, sometimes. She did not like this feeling. At all. She tightened her grip on Wyatt a little.

Wyatt's insides clenched painfully at those words, and his breath stopped for a moment. He grit his teeth and pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, eyes narrowing somewhat as he glared daggers at his former lover.

"Love?" He questioned spitefully, a bitter laugh lacing his words like poison. "You don't love me," he hissed, letting go of Hope's hand to walk towards her, towering over her as she lay on the ground. The wooden stake pressed against his side, tucked away in the inside pocket of his jacket. "You don't even know the meaning of the word," he spat, getting down on one knee and leaning really close to her, wrapping his hand around her throat and pressing down on the infected bite wound and getting a sadistic thrill from the way she choked on her own wail of agony. His anger, his unbridled rage, had done what it did best, what it always did: it had consumed him to the point of psychosis. Getting up close to her face, he looked her directly in the eyes as he spoke. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have sold me out over something I trusted you with, over something I couldn't control. I can't help being what I am; I didn't ask for this. What, did you?" He stared at her for a moment, blinking a little and warring with the memories trying to crop up and grab his attention. "How do you feel, being exactly what I am? Being the same as your reason for selling me out? Do you know how long I was in there for? And for what, research? Bullshit. They just had fun with me, sweetheart. I hope you got your money's worth, 'cause it'll make for a hell of a profit when I inherit it once I've gotten rid of you," he snarled.

Hope licked her lips and swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. She had no place in this situation. This was Wyatt's vengeance to take, and so she slowly backed out of the room, not daring to take her eyes off of the scene she was leaving there for a second as she did so. It was like a car crash, she just couldn't stop watching it. She closed the door behind her and finally let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and pressed herself up against the wall to the left of the door. She let her head fall back and hit the wall very softly, not because she was all that conscious of hurting herself, but rather due to the fact that she was, for some reason, scared of making the slightest sound. Hope couldn't make herself walk away from the room entirely, Wyatt would need her afterwards, she couldn't stray too far. Hope closed her eyes and listened.

Adelaide protested, begged that she'd made a mistake, that all she'd done for decades now was search him out.

"And what of you," she exclaimed, defiant still, "what knowledge have you of love?" She questioned him. "I've been looking for you for a long time, Wyatt Alexander De Sauveterre," she said, pronouncing his name the way everyone used to during the 20's, with its traditional French-Italian lilt. He shivered a little upon hearing it, such a blast from the past. Shaking himself, he threw her down into her desk chair, pacing. She was getting to him. She was. "You're a hard man to track," she continued, "but your name is everywhere. 'Wyatt De Sauveterre. Ripper. Sociopath. He's slaughtered entire families. I heard he's seeking revenge. He killed my father. He compelled my uncle to choke himself to death.' The stories never stop. How does one like yourself talk to me of love? What do you know of it? How can you question the legitimacy of my feelings, sociopath? You don't understand your own."

Wyatt whipped around and sneered at her, clamping his hands down either side of her, hissing out, "If you don't think I can love, then why would you want me?" He snapped. Adelaide only shrugged.

"The heart wants what it wants," she murmured. Wyatt rolled his eyes and pushed away from her again. He paced for a moment more, the frustration, the anger building in him. He snapped.

"WHAT HEART?!" He screamed, grabbing her by the shirt and slamming her up against the wall, shoving his hand into her chest. "WHAT, THIS HEART?!" His fingers curled around the organ, and his stomach flipped with adrenaline at the fear in her eyes. "You have no use for this," he growled, fangs dropping. "What do I know of love, you ask? Well maybe I don't feel things like others do, but what I know of love stands right outside that door and love is everything you never could be," he hissed snidely. "You're going to die in less than twenty-four hours, and it'll be a slow and painful death," he told her, his tone now dropping to one lacking emotion. His voice was morbidly droll, words grating off of his tongue, spoken roughly rather than with his usual smooth tones. "If you can just explain to me, and convince me, of your remorse, of your sorrow, of your love, dare I suggest, then maybe, perhaps, this sociopath can find it in him to perform his first compassionate act since being human."

Hope had her eyes squeezed shut this point, and she wondered how much longer she could force herself to listen for, her mind felt like it was in the middle of a cyclone. She didn't even know how to feel and she had no idea how to even begin to determine how she did feel. Jealousy was certainly there. Irrational jealousy. She knew it was irrational, the way Wyatt has just referenced to her told her as such. She groaned lightly and then made herself walk back into the room. She needs to be tougher than this. This still wasn't her fight or her vengeance, but it was Wyatt's, and so it was of concern to her. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, watching on with the same bemused expression as before,

"Just pretend I'm not even here." She spoke as Adelaide protested to her being there. She dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at Hope, but his attention was soon stolen away again. Adelaide tried to make her case, and Wyatt found himself snorting. He shook his head, dropping her to the ground with an exasperated sounding sigh. There was an edge of bitter amusement to it, and he rolled his eyes, letting his head hang between his shoulders a little as he chuckled to himself, eyes red-rimmed with tears that hadn't been shed. He sniffed harshly and cocked his head up again, tilting his head to the side a little with a sarcastic smile.

"Aw, honey," he cooed mockingly, "Y'almost had me convinced," he grinned, showing his teeth, looking every bit as unhinged as he really was. It was at this point that she started to beg for mercy, pleas for him to end the pain, and oh, didn't that just get him riled up, get his skin crawling with fury. "You asked me what I know of love," he suddenly announced, his voice loud and commanding, obnoxiously so. There was insanity sparked in his eyes. "Well I think it's about time I asked my question, isn't it?! Yes! I think so!" His words boomed throughout the room at a frightening volume. He sounded similar to Klaus in that moment. "What do you know of pain?" He demanded. "Because let me tell you, love, I've had more than my fair share, and to hear you beg for mercy just makes me so, so mad. I can show you real pain instead, if you'd like? I've had werewolf bites. I know they hurt, but they're not that bad, sweetheart, now come on," he snorted, entirely patronizing as he got up close to Adelaide's face. He gripped her cheeks in his hand and smirked, tilting his head. "You wanna get some hands-on experience, get some real knowledge of what they did to me?" He asked, not giving her time to reply. "Let's start with the laceration hypothesis, shall we? Basic question: how many lacerated wounds can a vampire bleed from before they pass out? Is it more than a human? Well, we all know this anyway. Like I said, doll, it was all about the fun. The experiments were bullshit," he laughed in a horrifying manner, whipping out a pair of scissors from her drawers. "Now, these aren't the sharpest," he huffed, examining them. "In fact, they're pretty blunt. So, to be fair about this, I'm gonna be blunt too," he said cheerily, pausing for dramatic effect, and then, "they'll hurt a lot." And then he dug one of the blades into her stomach and ripped them down, a jagged wound opening up in her torso and bleeding profusely.

Hope stilled completely the moment Wyatt opened his mouth, and then slowly put a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in horror. He'd lost it. No, he'd never had it. But she'd never seen him this bad. She was terrified beyond belief. How can she- how could- She choked as she tried to take a deep breath to steady herself. This was who she was engaged to. This was the father of her children. Hope loved him. She did. But this was... This was something else. Someone else. But that wasn't true. This was him. This was Wyatt. She'd just never seen him to this extent before. She pressed herself further up against the wall, and even started to wince and turn her head away when his tone and actions and words got too much for her to witness. She could feel herself trembling. Hope hugged herself, sliding down the wall, a haunted kind of look on her face.

Wyatt was oblivious to Hope's meltdown taking place somewhere behind and maybe slightly to the side of him, entirely too caught up in seeking the satisfaction supplied by the sounds of scissors slicing skin. He gripped Adelaide by her throat and pinned her back against the wall, removing the scissors from that gash and gouging them in elsewhere. This went on for a couple of minutes, and Adelaide looked close to passing out already.

"Wow," he scoffed, rolling his eyes and tossing the bloodied scissors away to the side carelessly. "Only thirteen? Is that unlucky number an omen for your unlucky day, I wonder? You're so weak," he hissed, practically cackling with sadistic glee. "So, so weak and pathetic. Thirteen and you're already wavering with your consciousness? I've barely gotten started, sweetheart. I survived more than that on a week without food," he paused for a moment, tilting his head away from a moment as if seriously pondering something, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, before he glanced back at her and shrugged a little, expression one of feigned diplomacy. "Well," he said, "I suppose I did dig a little deeper with you." He glanced down and leaned slightly, poking a finger inside her, smirking as she cried out again. "Yep, I definitely mangled a few organs in there," he said as he straightened up, sucking in a sharp inhale through his teeth in a way that was made to sound regretful. "Oops? My bad," he mused, flashing her a wide grin. "What do you say we test your eyesight, huh? How's that doing?"

Hope shuddered, pale at this point. She fidgeted a little in her discomfort, and felt the stake Wyatt had given her dig into her side. She drew it out from her pocket and looked at it for a moment before glancing up to the sickening scene before her, her expression was close to being blank, but she looked like a ghost. She was very pale and very traumatised. Hope didn't want to go anywhere near Wyatt after what she'd just seen, but she had to in order to save him from himself. She supposed Adelaide did deserve this, as this is what she had caused him to become, but for the sake of not only Wyatt's sanity, but her own, she had to end it. Hope moved silently over and waited for Wyatt to be distracted before gently shoving him aside. He'd been too absorbed in his sick game to even acknowledge her presence. Hope took a very brief moment and looked Adelaide directly in the eyes as she plunged the stake into her chest, directly piercing her heart. Hope stayed around to watch her die, and then brushed her hands off with a miniature sigh, and then turned on her heel and walked out of the room.


	21. Twenty One: Klaus' Master Plan

Hope didn't want to do this. She didn't. Why was she doing this? Because Klaus was forcing her. Of course. She took a long time to get ready; not because she was trying hard to look good, but because she kept changing her mind about wanting to go. She kept hesitating and taking the outfit off, and then sighing and putting it back on. Hope eventually ventured downstairs, smoothing out her dress, perfecting her makeup, and gave Klaus an unhappy look. She did not want to do this, but she must. She sighed and cocked her head at him,

"Please don't make me go."

Klaus shook his head and watched as Hope came downstairs, he looked at her dress, he could see she wasn't trying too hard, but nonetheless, she looked as gorgeous as ever. He brought his hand forward and helped her down the last bunch of stairs and onto the floor, pushing a curl behind her ear, oh if she only knew who this was really for, she would have paid a bit more attention to how she set everything up. The watch on his wrist made a small dinging noise so he knew that he would have to go check on Wyatt in a second or two because Wyatt wouldn't go at all if Klaus didn't push him out the door himself,

"You're going, now here, take the car. I'll see you later- I have to go attend to some other business."

Wyatt was sat on the sofa in the boarding house, glaring a little at Stefan and Damon as they wandered around and taunted him about this little set-up Klaus had taken it upon himself to construct. Of all the people, too. Fucking Klaus. Setting him up. With someone that wasn't his daughter. At this point, however, Wyatt was resigned. He didn't want to date anybody at all, now. He'd already figured that Hope would be leaving him from the moment she saw him lose his shit with Adelaide, and now he was simply back to the same old apathetic, miserable existence. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his children; it felt like it'd been years, when in reality it'd been a week. He'd moved back into the Salvatore boarding house just over a week ago, after three weeks of torturous non-communication and awkward silence. Wyatt sighed aggressively and narrowed his eyes at Damon, the worst of his two nephews for taunting, and dug into his mind, making him go away. Damon scowled at him a little as he found himself shuffling off against his will, meanwhile Stefan threw his hands up in surrender and followed after his brother. It was at that moment that Klaus decided to burst into the house, causing Wyatt to groan loudly through a heaved sigh.

"Remind me why the fuck I'm letting you make me do this again?" He prompted, giving Klaus an unimpressed look.

Hope opened her mouth to speak, but Klaus was gone, she'd raised a hand to raise a finger as she spoke, and she just dropped it. She knew Klaus would be back to force her to go if she didn't go now, so she said goodbye to the children and Boone, and let herself out of the house. She got in the car, very reluctantly, and drove to the specified location. Klaus had entered it into her SatNav. Hope dragged herself out of the car and locked it as she walked away from it. There was no way she would seek out her date. She didn't even know his name, and he would have to find her, otherwise she was leaving. Yep. It wouldn't be her fault if the guy never showed up- right? She could just go home. She would give it ten minutes.

Klaus patted Wyatt's shoulders before brushing off his shoulders and moving off to stand by his side, fixing the cuffs of the jacket. What was it with these two? The suit Wyatt was wearing seemed like he dug it from the depths of the nearest void with how old it looked, it barely fit him in the way he knew other suits could. With a sigh, Klaus dug into his pockets and took a pair of silver cufflinks out, shaking his head with distaste,

"You don't even have cufflinks on, you sod." The barrier in his mind was up and everything behind it was going crazy, it was giving him a headache, all he was trying to do was get them back together without them knowing it, was it really all that hard? Did the pair of them have to be that difficult? "Where did you get this suit from? It looks like it could fit Jakobe, mate. Look alive, for the love of God."

Wyatt scowled a little and stood up, shaking his shoulders free of Niklaus' pestering hands.

"Get off me, I'm fine," he scowled. He tried to get a read on Klaus, but found such to be too-difficult of a task; the hybrid had his fucking mental block up yet again. What exactly was it there for tonight? Wyatt sighed heavily and messed with his tie, which was done haphazardly, resulting in a too-small knot, his tie going off to the side instead of following the line of his shirt buttons. He glared at Klaus and tucked his hands into his pockets once Klaus was done messing with his wrists, fixing cuff links to his outfit.

"Oh," he said with a sarcastic sort of enthusiasm, eyebrows furrowing as he shook his head, a sassy retort on the tip of his tongue, "You know what? I don't particularly care, Nik. I'm actually just wondering what your daughter makes of you setting up her fiance - or... ex fiance, whatever we are - on a date with some random woman, not four weeks after our little incident that caused all of this."

Hope actually couldn't stop herself from glancing at her phone, she was at the bar, and she hadn't touched her drink. She wasn't planning on drinking it, she was just racking up a huge bill for Klaus to pay as vengeance for being forced to do this. She rested her elbow on the bar, and then her cheek on her hand, and glanced about her, her expression that of complete disinterest. She glanced down at her phone and saw that on her little clock app, the tenth minute was about to hit, and so she slipped off of her stool, and was about to turn around and leave, when a guy caught her attention and introduced himself as her date. Hope sighed and nodded tiredly, she gave in, and decided to be at least pleasant to the poor guy, it wasn't his fault he wasn't Wyatt, she supposed. She drew the line at linking arms with him. She would not do that.

Klaus looked at the clock, instead of listening to Wyatt go on about things he didn't care enough about to properly listen to him. There was no time, literally, for Wyatt to try and ask questions without trying to ask any questions, he wasn't fooling anyone, especially not Klaus, he needed to send Wyatt off and on his way to the restaurant.

"Okay, listen, get over yourself and go off on this date. I mean, obviously she is not as amazing nor as beautiful as Hope, but she's a nice little lady to get your mind off of Hope. Just because you're always broody when you're with Hope it doesn't mean that you have to be pants without her." At this point, Klaus was basically pushing Wyatt out of the door and Stefan and Damon were standing behind the hybrid snickering, "Now, go off and have your little date, let me know when you've arrived."

Wyatt glared at Klaus and shoved him back a little bit, pushing the hybrid away from himself with a disdainful little snarl.

"First of all," he said, snark adding a bitter bite to his tone, "that made no fucking sense whatsoever - just like this bullshit little set up of yours. And secondly?" He swiveled on his heels as he stepped out of the door, holding his finger up at Klaus and snapping out at him, "Stop fucking manhandling me before I take that damn witches dagger and shove it down your throat, you touchy little bastard." Wyatt's scowl only deepened as Klaus rolled his eyes heavily and slammed the door in his face. He growled under his breath and angrily checked his phone for the time and any messages, before slipping it back into the inside pocket of his blazer and making his way to his car, climbing inside and setting off to the bloody restaurant. His date would be there in ten minutes. How wonderful.

Hope drummed her fingers on the table and glanced around her, she was clearly uncomfortable. She just wanted to be at home with the twins. It wasn't like the guy wasn't trying- he clearly liked her, and was making an effort, but she just... he wasn't... you know? He wasn't him. Not Wyatt. She was sure if things were different then she may have been somewhat interested in the guy, but she just wasn't, and there was nothing either of them, or Klaus, could do about it. She didn't want to move on. She felt as if it was Wyatt or nothing, for her. Hope eyed the rose in the vase at the central part of the table between them distastefully, and sighed, nodding along to whatever it was her date- Rob, she thought he said his name was, was saying. It was no use. She couldn't bring herself to be enthusiastic.

Klaus quickly flashed over to the restaurant and retreated to the backroom of it, he had compelled everyone who worked there to believe that he was the new manager and they had to listen to him. The clothes were already hung up in the room and all that was left was for him to change, god this outfit was horrendous, but he'd wear it if it meant Hope and Wyatt would finally see that they were made to be with one another. Once Klaus had the outfit on, he fixed it so it fit his body a bit weirder than it would have if he wasn't undercover. Undercover. He liked calling it that, it made it sound like it was an important mission.

"Oh oh," he said with a horrible french accent, putting on the pure black wig that made his hair look like it was slicked back in a ponytail, "Oui, oui," he tried to say, imitating Wyatt's accent, but it really just sounded like he was hacking up, "Would you like the soup or the salad," once he felt like he nailed the accent, he walked out into the dining area, looking for Hope and Wyatt.

Wyatt wandered into the restaurant and walked over to table one where he was booked to sit, and found that his date was already sitting there waiting. He frowned a little and straightened his posture, before taking a deep breath and making his expression more neutral and approachable, not that he was really sure why, since he didn't care what this woman thought of him. Objectively, he could recognise that she was very attractive; she had dark, wavy hair that cascaded nicely down her back, and when he got to his seat, he saw that she had light green eyes and a smattering of pretty freckles on rounded cheekbones.

"Hi," he greeted her, glancing around with a small furrow on his brow, smiling pleasantly, a charmer as always no matter what situation he found himself in. It was a principle of his. "Am I late?" He questioned, removing his suit jacket and placing it over the back of his chair.

"No, I'm just early," his date laughed lightly, causing Wyatt to smirk a little. Well, she definitely found him attractive; that was fun. He stuck his hand out for her to shake once he'd taken his seat, introducing himself and her doing the same. Her name was Layla. There was something nagging at Wyatt, however. Something making his skin prickle, a tug at his mind. He glanced to the side, and found the source. Hope. Wyatt heaved a sigh through his nose and clenched his jaw.

Fucking Niklaus Mikaelson.

Hope stiffened quite visibly the moment he entered the restaurant. Of course. Of course Klaus had engineered this little set up. It was so Klaus. She sunk down in her seat, trying to evade Rob's questions, hiding her face with her hand. She frowned, her eyes following Wyatt, and then immediately jumped to the woman he was greeting. She clenched her jaw and the table simultaneously and resisted the urge to growl,

"No." She hissed, after seeing how damn attractive Wyatt's date was. Jealousy flared up inside of her with a hot and fiery vengeance, and she instantly put up a mental block, not wanting Wyatt to be able to read her thoughts. She sighed heavily and made an effort to turn her attention back to Rob, who was trying so hard to get her attention, bless him. She decided to take pity on him and listened to him. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't Wyatt, or that he was incredibly boring, or that her... Wyatt- whatever he was to her now, had just walked in.

Wyatt squinted a little at Hope's date, judging him from where he was sat. Attractive, but kind of bland. Your regular sort of bloke with some glossy eyes that may put him slightly above average. Wyatt scoffed, and then apologised once he noticed Layla looking at him funnily.

"My apologies," he said, making himself sound sincere, flashing her an apologetic sort of smile. "I just... saw somebody that I wasn't expecting to see here tonight," he told her by way of explanation. "Anyway, shall we order?" He asked, relieved when Layla nodded her head in agreement with a pleased little smile and became invested in the menu. He picked up his own menu and held it in front of his face, using it as a sort of shield as he glared over in the general direction of Hope's date. He picked up on the man's thoughts, and it only made him angrier. Who the fuck did he think he was, looking at Wyatt's fi- oh. Well. Wasn't that just fucking amazing. He didn't even have the right to be angry anymore. Wyatt scowled. God damn it. He would find some way to make his rage seem justified - he was nothing if not manipulative.

Klaus walked over to Hope's table and looked between her and Rob, fixing his moustache before they had turned their attention to him, just making sure that it wouldn't fall off of his face. He cleared his throat as he could feel the tension already being thrown off of both Hope and Wyatt and they had only been in the same room as each other for a minute or so. The sound of Klaus clearing his throat was one of the many triggers for Rob to start chatting Hope up in a way Klaus knew would catch her attention and piss Wyatt off. Rob then began to tell horrible jokes that only a person like Hope would find joy and laughter in, bringing her to a place where she almost couldn't breathe nor bring her attention back over to Klaus he coughed once more and Rob stopped slowly, not making it obvious that the jokes and the coughing were related,

"Bonjour, would you like the soup or the salad," he coughed again, and on queue Rob made a joke about not wanting a super, but wanting a regular one, and then he looked over to Wyatt, he had his face covered with a menu, trying to block off Hope, "While you two think, I must go over to my next table," he stated already stalking off.

Hope stared after the odd waiter in amazement, she had a hand to her chest as she had been trying to catch her breath a few moments ago. How did it turn out that Rob could be so funny? Her subconscious grabbed her focus again and put her back on track with being suspicious about the waiter. His accent was ridiculously shit and fake, and he just looked so familiar, she glanced at Rob,

"Have you seen him before?" She asked curiously, trying to discern where exactly she knew him from. She wriggled her nose and managed to multitask pretending to listen to Rob and watching Wyatt's table at once. She did a good job of feigning complete focus on Rob. He seemed pleased with the "attention" she was giving him. Hope scoffed under her breath at the sound of Wyatt's date's voice. She hit her with a tiny, practically harmless aneurysm, and smirked a little to herself, scanning her menu over.

Wyatt squinted at Hope a little, noticing her focus set on his and his date's table and not at all actually on this date of hers. He arched an eyebrow at her, before noticing Layla flinch a little and bring a hand to her head, two fingers pressing against her temple and lightly rubbing in circular motions. Wyatt's nostrils flared a little with annoyance. He instantly knew what Hope had done. What, so she could be on a date and he couldn't? Well, two could play at that game. Just as Wyatt was about to make his own little response, a dodgy looking waiter with - what Wyatt was certain to be - a fake moustache approached their table, spouting out a garbled bastardization of the French accent. Wyatt's eyes widened in extreme offense, and he immediately began to scowl. Wyatt knew exactly how he was going to catch out this little mockery of a waiter. How fucking dare he sabotage Wyatt's native tongue like that? His heritage?

"Je suppose que vous me comprendrez si je fais de ma commande en français, alors," he proposed, squinting a little as he regarded the male in front of him. There was a sense of satisfaction in the way the waiter froze up, obviously unable to comprehend what Wyatt had just said. Hmm. Good. Served him right.

Klaus squinted as Layla groaned a bit and knew that it was Hope and his perfect plan had been falling into place. Just as Klaus was about to ask her if she was okay, not that he really cared anyway, Wyatt began to speak to him in this fluent French that Nik had been so far from knowing yet. He tried to piece it together, French and Spanish, cousins when it came down to it. The words ran a track race in his head and he deciphered it quickly, at least he had hoped that he did. He went to go bite down on his lip, but stopped himself mid way knowing that if Wyatt would catch on the minute his teeth pulled his bottom lip back, so he remained still and replied with a simple,

"Oui," trying his best to keep up the accent he felt comfortable with despite knowing that it was probably horrible, he felt good about it. It felt weird taking orders from someone else, he was almost reluctant to do so, fixing his moustache, a stroke on both ends with his white gloves on his hands, pulling a black pen out of his pocket, clicking it and pushing the point to the notepad, "And what would you like?"

Wyatt squinted hard at the waiter, who'd taken far too long to think of that reply. And, also, Wyatt noted, he hadn't responded in French either. One would think a French man being spoken to by another French man would respond in kind; he was willing to admit that the French had a certain pride about them, and any French-speaker was regarded kindly. You spoke French to a Frenchman away from his home, and he'd launch into conversation in the native tongue. Wyatt glared a little, but his attention was caught by Hope again, distracting him for a moment. He quickly snapped out of it, however, and looked to Layla, offering her a small smile, the smile turning into a slight smirk as she quite clearly appreciated his French. Wyatt glanced back at the "French" waiter, the challenge back in his eyes.

"Je vais prendre un steak saignant avec un côté salade, et une bouteille de vin pour la table, s'il vous plaît," he smiled, faux-pleasant, then turned to Layla with a sincere-looking smile. "And whatever you're having, love," he spoke softly.

Hope almost whined at the soft tone Wyatt was using, the use of the word 'love'. It got to her. She was hurting. She sighed and rested her elbow on the table, and hid her face from Wyatt with her hand. Hope felt bad for injuring the poor girl, honestly. That aneurysm had been a spur of the moment kind of thing. She stared down at the table and didn't bother trying to come across as attentive towards Rob, who was definitely trying too hard now. He'd even tried to reach across the table and hold her hand. He was a very touchy guy. She wasn't comfortable with that at all. Hope blinked harshly and frowned a little down at her menu, reading it over for what must have been the fourth time.

Klaus could sense that Hope was no longer having a good time with Rob and as he furiously tried to write down what it sounded like Wyatt was saying in French for somebody in the kitchen to translate before they cooked it, Layla had ordered in English, saving him a lot of more time so he bowed his head and made a round trip to the kitchen and put down the orders, hissing at someone to make sure they translate Wyatt's order correctly because he didn't want to appear like a fool. Once it was translated he brought over two wine glasses and the best bottle they could find and settled it on the table,

"Your food will be out in a minute," and those were the trigger words for Layla to push herself closer to Wyatt, settle her hand on top of his and whisper small, flirtatious things into his ear. Klaus made his way back over Hope's table with a brand new page ready in the notepad, his pen ready once more, "Have you guys decided on your order?"

Wyatt narrowed his eyes a little at the waiter as he returned from the kitchen to inform them that their food would be out. Okay, so maybe he knew some French, or maybe he was good at interpreting. Wyatt could tell for a fact, however, that this man was not truly French. Something about him made Wyatt suspicious, and he didn't like people butchering the accent the way this man did. Wyatt startled a little as Layla moved closer to him, and was suddenly on the adjacent side of his side of the table, her palm resting over the back of his hand, a coy smirk on her face as she leaned forward and whispered in his ear. He recoiled a little, but eventually forced himself to relax slightly and at least attempt to be an active participant in this date. He sighed a little and shook his head, eyes drifting over to Hope again; he couldn't help himself as he glanced over her date and then dug into his mind, making the man smack himself in the face. Wyatt smirked a little at the man's perplexed expression as he rubbed at his stinging cheek afterwards in clear bewilderment, quickly averting his eyes and returning some flirtatious comments to Layla as if he hadn't done a thing.

Hope quickly ordered the first things she saw, not actually intending to eat, and clenched her jaw even harder, to the point of shattering it, as her hearing picked up the things Layla was saying. She dropped her hand for a moment once her jaw was broken and narrowed her eyes furiously at how close Layla and Wyatt were. He was enjoying this. Ouch. She flared her nostrils and suddenly one of the candles on Wyatt's table had somehow caught the tablecloth, and was spreading, very coincidentally drawing a literal line of fire between Layla and Wyatt, forcing them both to move back from each other. Hope expected herself to find satisfaction in this, but it did nothing to soothe the ache. She excused herself and allowed Rob to kiss the back of her hand, and as she rose from the table she grabbed the jug of water, and used it to extinguish the fire on Wyatt's table as she passed, on the way to the bathroom. Her expression was polite and neutral.

Wyatt grinned a little at something Layla was saying, and even though he didn't feel anything at all towards her, not even a spark of lust, it was still amusing to engage in this, to have his ego stroked by her blunt interest in him. He tilted his head to the side a little when her lips brushed against his earlobe, twisting away from it a little. That just felt wrong. That wasn't her thing to do; that was Hope's. He cringed a little, but made himself relax again - though apparently not for long, as the next thing he knew their tablecloth had been set alight. He immediately jolted back, Layla doing the same, as the line of fire aimed to cut right between them. He scowled over at Hope, knowing full-well it was her doing. She extinguished it as she passed them by a few seconds later, and Wyatt found himself caught between doing some more damage to her date or chasing after her.

Klaus just stood still and watched both Rob and Layla as he stood in the middle of the two of them, watching to see if Wyatt would go after Hope or not, giving him a look as if he were stupid to not go and do it. He was stuck between blowing his cover or letting it continue until Hope came back to see if the dates could continue as they had been going. Hope was hurt, this was something he knew to be true, but decided to push it to the back of his mind, and look where it landed them, how was anyone going to explain this to the other customers at the restaurant, he would surely have to send a check, or maybe he would just compel them, but that was beyond on the point.

"Are you going to sit there like an idiot or are you going to go after the one you truly love?" Klaus asked in his normal accent, not bothering to take off the ridiculous mustache nor wig, too fed up with the drama that was going on to care anymore.

Wyatt whipped his head around, diverting his attention from a retreating Hope, and glared at the "waiter" stood aside from him. He growled a little under his breath, walking up to Klaus and giving him a shove.

"I should've fucking known, but I didn't think even you would stoop to a level as low as gearing up in fancy dress and insulting my culture with your offensive attempt at my accent," Wyatt snapped, giving Klaus a rough shove to the shoulders. "And this?" He hissed, ripping off the moustache from Klaus' face, pleased to see it pluck a few facial hairs and cause the hybrid to bear his teeth a little. "Stereotypical! I'll kill you later." With that, he chucked the moustache aside and whipped around to chase after Hope, uncaring as he busted into the female bathrooms after her.

Hope was sat on the counters along the wall by the mirrors, where the sinks were. She was swinging her legs slowly, gaze fixed on the floor. She frowned slightly as she picked up some of what was being said in the restaurant, but it was too nonsensical, and she had listened in to the conversation too late to understand what was going on. She did sense Wyatt nearing her, as he approached, however, and glanced up at the door. She didn't expect him to actually come in, though, and when he did- rather dramatically, might she add- her eyebrows raised up of their own accord and her lips parted. Hope licked her lips and then shifted a little on the sink, blinking at him,

"Uh- hey." She greeted him awkwardly.

Wyatt paused halfway through another step, landing on the foot he'd extended in front of himself slower than he would've had he not paused; it was as if he was surprised to see her, though in reality he was more just stunned by her presence since he hadn't actually been within eight ft of her in over a week. He slowly approached her, hands clenching in fists at his sides. What did he do now? Did he act on his initial instincts and just grab her in his arms? Kiss her? Make awkward conversation?

"Hi," he croaked out a little awkwardly, his voice low and rough, a little fainter than it usually was. His eyes trailed up and down the length of her body where it was suspended on the sink counter, taking her in, drinking in her appearance. She looked beautiful as ever, makeup light and complimentary to her natural features, a form-fitting dress accentuating her figure.

Hope tilted her head at him, her expression was somewhat sad, but the most relieved and stress free it had been the entire night, and even the week. She cleared her throat and wriggled her nose a little, a small habit of hers. She caught him scanning her appearance, and did the same for him. He looked effortlessly gorgeous, of course. As usual. She really didn't know how he managed to do it all the time, it was like he'd just pulled on the nearest thing and walked out of the door; something she knew he actually did sometimes. Hope sighed heavily and tugged a hand through her waves,

"Did Klaus make you come here?" She asked quietly.

Wyatt licked his lips a little and swallowed thickly as he scoured the thoughts running through her mind. He shook his head a little in response to her question, coming to a standstill roughly a foot away from where she was seated. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks, rocking on his heels a little bit and giving her a small shrug.

"He may have made a comment about it, but when does Klaus ever really make me do anything unless he's compelling me?" Wyatt questioned, tilting his head to the side slightly and quirking his eyebrows up a little, arching them into a familiar sort of expression; it was that sort of sarcastic look he gave her that told her she already knew the answer to whatever question she may have been asking.

Hope grinned despite herself, just a little. She nodded along amicably and actually let out a laugh, something she hadn't done in quite a while,

"Well, I meant here as in the restaurant, this evening... But you do raise a good point." She amended him good naturedly, she wasn't sure she had the spirit for a humoured approach, and smiled at him. She quirked her eyebrows at him and snickered quietly at his reaction.

Wyatt quirked his eyebrows up a little in response to Hope, standing straight again with his head upright again. He snorted very faintly and took a small, hesitant step closer towards Hope, his fingers drumming along the tops of his thighs from inside his pockets. He was still wearing his engagement ring, believe it or not; at that very moment, its presence felt like a heavy weight on his hand, ice cool through the thin material of his pockets against the skin of his thighs despite him having a considerably lower temperature than live bodies and being far less susceptible to temperature.

Hope glanced him up and down as he took the step, eyes widening slightly, taking in the lesser distance between them. She thought he didn't want her. Surely he didn't, right? After everything that had happened, and the way he had been behaving with that Layla woman- Hope was confused. She bit down on her lower lip lightly, and furrowed her brow ever so slightly,

"I'm not having a good time." She confided, playing with her own engagement ring, in her lap. She'd never taken it off, either, the whole time they'd been apart, and had worn it especially tonight just because she needed her date to know she wasn't really available. Hope drank in his appearance as much as possible now that he was closer.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes a little at the thoughts running through her mind, and scoffed in disbelief.

"We clearly have some communication issues," he said rather bluntly, giving her a look of pure discontent. "But let's quit the acts. Stop fucking around. I want you as much as you want me. Now do I have to grovel my way back to you, or are you going to get down off of that sink and c'mere?" He asked her, raising one eyebrow as he regarded her, taking his hands out of his pockets and spreading his arms out to his sides a little. He glanced at his left hand, before looking back at Hope and down to her left hand; his eyes drifted back to hers, and he met her gaze again. "This was never really over, was it?"

Hope frowned a little more than she had before, but it kind of smoothed out as he spoke, and she ducked her head in something akin to shame. She sighed lightly and shook her head in a long suffering fashion, hopping down from the sink and wandering over to him, she grabbed his hand and inspected the ring that was still present on it, and then raised her own to show to him,

"I guess not." She murmured, eyes travelling over his face in something much like wonder as she pondered over how it was that Klaus had been so right. Hope couldn't even bring herself to be mad at her father for this ridiculously obvious set up. Because, well- it had worked hadn't it? She snorted a little to herself and shook her head minimally at the thought, "It was never over for me. I think we just drifted, somehow..." She told him, quoting Klaus a little.

Wyatt nodded his head slowly in a display of understanding, taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together for a moment, before he let go in favour of sliding his hands up along her arms and then down over the backs of her shoulders, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame and pulling her into his chest, enveloping her into a close, tight hug, burying his face into her neck and simply breathing in her softly sweet scent. He sighed heavily, part relief and part exhaustion; he hadn't been expecting to be doing this tonight, to be holding Hope in his arms once again - yet here he was, with absolutely no complaints to be made whatsoever.

Hope clung to him as much as she could and also inhaled his scent, it was that distinct kind of naturally clean smelling scent, mixed in with something that just defined itself to her as 'France'. He smelt French. He would. Hope looped her arms up and around his neck, moving up onto her tiptoes a little and entangling her fingers in his hair, hugging him to her, she turned her head towards him a little and spoke very quietly so as to not affect his over sensitive hearing,

"I'm sorry. I love you more than my own life." She confessed sadly, ashamed of the way she had been behaving and skirting around him. Of course she loved him.

Wyatt couldn't help the way his head automatically tilted into her hands, the grasp of her fingers in the locks of his hair; he shivered softly under the ghost of her breath against his ear, the way her lips brushed his lobe, and noted how right it felt when it was her lips against his skin, her voice whispering soft tones for only him to hear. He dropped one of his arms lower, winding it around her waist and pulling her closer against him, practically clinging to her.

"I love you too," he spoke on a rush of breath that quivered with barely-contained relief.

Hope sighed lightly, compassionately, and pulled away from him enough to mean she could kiss him. And she did. She angled her head delicately as she did so, in order for the angle to be comfortable enough for the both of them, and hesitated just before her lips reached his. She savoured the moment a little before acting on her wishes, she'd come to realise just how much she took things for granted now, especially her time with him. She didn't realise how much she'd miss it until it was gone. Hope smiled indulgently and then finally allowed their lips to brush against each other, taking her time. She sighed in immense relief as they finally sunk into the kiss.

Wyatt's eyes were closed as their foreheads rested against each other in the silently charged moments before their kiss, a feeling in his gut stirring that told him looking at her right now would be the equivalent to being sucked in by a black hole, and he wasn't prepared for the consumption eye-contact would fold him into, not ready to feel that bend of light inside him. His lips lightly fumbled as their mouths just barely met, the first brush of intimacy shared between them in over a month feeling like the first stroke of paint on a new canvas when you've been out of practice for a while: that simmer of nerves, the internal shake of angst, mingling with that rush of excitement to be one with your passion again. Their lips finally colliding had Wyatt's heart bruising against his ribs; it was a collision between two particles that sparked an explosion and thus their shared universe existed once more; he was one with his lover, at home in her arms, given life by her kiss.

Hope moaned very quietly and ended the kiss when she had to. There was only so much that was acceptable to do in a public bathroom, no matter how passionate one's reunion with one's partner was due to be. She sighed rather dramatically as they were forced to pull away from each other. This was nowhere near as wrapped up in Wyatt as she wanted or needed to be, and now they were too far apart. She stroked his cheek briefly before clearing her throat and brushing a hand through his hair gently, distractedly. She hadn't done that in so long. They needed to leave the bathroom at least. There were people out there waiting for them,

"What are we going to do about our dates?" She questioned, amusement genuinely in her tone for the first time in over a month. Hope linked her hand with his, lacing their fingers together, and prepared herself to leave the bathroom. She had entered with a pretty damaged heart, and was now leaving with hope for a fixed one.

Wyatt's eyes fluttered a little when Hope ran her fingers gently through his hair, tilting his head into the contact with a soft, near-blissful sigh. He really did like having his hair messed with, and especially when it was Hope doing it. He licked his lips with a small, resigned sigh and opened his eyes once more as she questioned him, shrugging a little as they laced their fingers together and headed out of the bathroom.

"I don't really care," he told her with a one-shouldered shrug, glancing over the room to where their two dates sat. "Maybe compel them, or just tell them to sod off."

Hope bit down lightly on her lip and then shrugged, nodding in agreement,

"I say we leave it to Klaus. He can clean up the mess he created." She mused, a little devious twinkle in her eye now. The knowledge of the hefty bill she'd gathered up at the bar, with the drinks she had never actually drunk, along with the fact she was planning on quite literally just strolling out of the restaurant- satisfied her a little. The thought of Klaus fumbling around trying to clean up his mess amused her. He deserved that much, she supposed. Nothing more. She wasn't actually all that mad at him. Sure it was devious and deceitful, but it had worked, and she was with Wyatt again. She didn't see how that could warrant more punishment than that. She sniffed lightly and glanced at Wyatt briefly before leading them back over to their tables to grab their stuff. She let go of Wyatt's hand to explain to Rob that there would be a change of plans.

Wyatt snorted and rolled his eyes a little, but he was very much in agreement with her. He wandered over to his date and compelled her to leave - though, due to his improved mood, he wasn't completely heartless about it; he did compel her to think she'd had a good time, a good meal, and simply hadn't wanted to see him again. He turned to Hope once she was finished with Rob, and took her hand in his, winking at Klaus whose eyes were narrowed on them, having clearly heard Hope say he could clear things up.

Klaus watched after Hope and Wyatt as they walked right out and then kind of just turned to look at the restaurant, at all the confused people who seemed to look like they were ready to cause chaos, especially with Hope and Wyatt having just compelled both of their dates and walked off together. He spent the next hour or so compelling everyone to make sure they acted as if they had another night out and that it may have been one of their best nights out yet, making sure each story was unique in its own sense, but correlated with the others. He also compelled a few of the employees to clean up the mess and wipe any trace of Wyatt, Hope or himself being there. What a night.


	22. Twenty Two: Foxes

Wyatt was sitting on the sofa, stoic and silent as he stared into the open space before him. He was bent over, elbows braced on his knees, as Niklaus paced beside him; his fingers were tapping anxiously over his bottom lip and his jaw was clenched. The calm before the storm. Inside, he was simmering with unreleased rage, a carnage simmering low in his gut waiting to be taken out on those deserving of it. They'd taken her again. The witches had Hope again. Had his warning not been clear last time? Wyatt made a vow, there and then, that he'd carry out revenge on all of their families. Every single last one of them. And he'd make them suffer, knowing that the witches he and Klaus slaughtered tonight would be helpless to do anything but watch from the other side as their loved ones paid the price because of their ignorance and stupidity.

Klaus continued to pace with one arm wrapped around his chest with he tried to calm himself down, something he had been working on for quite a while now, but right now was not the time for tranquility, it was time for anger. Murder rang in his ears as he thought about the endless places Hope could be with the witches. Young, old, dead, or alive, witches were constantly a pain in the ass. With every thought of Hope and what could possibly be happening to her, a thought of how he could rip apart the witches who had her, gauge their eyes out, rip their spines out through their mouth, possibly save a few to just torture when he got home, the possibilities were endless when it came to being immortal.

"Why are we just sitting here?" he asked the young vampire who sat in front of him, seeming more calm than Klaus, but Klaus knew all too well that the thoughts running through his own mind were also running through Wyatt's mind. If only they had a witch of their own, perform a small locator spell, oh wait, they did, but she had been taken by some low life Salem Witch trials wannabes.

Hope, for the second time in her life, woke up in a strange place, and was immediately met with an aneurysm. She would never be used to that, and it hit her especially hard as a result. She groaned and rolled over, her hair falling about her face, there was blood on her lips, and she guessed that they must have tried to sustain her by force feeding her blood while she was unconscious. Hope whined a little and crawled over to be nearer to the wall. This place was a lot better furnished. One similarity was that her captors were stood unashamedly watching her,

"Creepy bastards." She muttered, wiping her mouth off with her sleeve. She got to her feet, being as elegant as she could be as she did so, a power play, and stared at them defiantly. She sniffed a little and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

Wyatt slowly dragged his eyes away from where they'd settled upon the fire and looked up at Klaus, though his head never moved. He simply stared at the hybrid for a moment, emotionless, getting a read on the man's thoughts while his guard was down, snorting vaguely and shaking his head once he'd done so. He sighed heavily and licked his lips, wiping his palms on his thighs needlessly as he stood. He dusted himself off a little, movements stiff and precise, cold and calculating. It was evident that Wyatt was slipping into the mindset in which he yearned for blood, preparing for massacre once again.

"We're still here," he said testily, "because we have no idea where she is. But I managed last time to get a link on her thoughts, so I'm going to do it again. Please, Niklaus," he said, voice too calm and quiet, steady in his stance as if the love of his life weren't in danger, "have a little patience." He sighed and closed his eyes, tilting his head back with a small exhale, trying to reach out to Hope, focusing on her. It was hard at such distances, and it took a lot of energy, but Wyatt could soon replace that by ripping off a couple of heads on the way to wherever she was being kept.

Klaus wanted to scream at the top of his lungs and run out and find every witch in Mystic Falls to try and find Hope, no matter how much blood he had to give up to however many witches, he wanted to undo whatever was being done. He watched Wyatt's face, it was still as he tried to keep the emotions to himself, hide the anger within, but Klaus knew better than to push Wyatt on the subject of his feelings, that would be saved for another night. He sat down just to stand up again, too antsy to stay in one position which resulted in him going back to his pacing behind Wyatt, stopping at the table and pouring himself another drink.

"While you sit here and try to get whatever it is you two might have, I'm going to look through the city once more," and with that, Klaus was out of the door, cold wind hitting his face as he ran through the woods, flashing through abandoned building and business that had closed for the night, finding nothing as he arrived back at the Boarding House just a few seconds later, picking his glass that he had left on the table up again, "Nowhere. She's nowhere," he took the last sip of the bourbon and threw the glass cup at the farthest wall, he felt like he was going out of his mind.

Wyatt opened his eyes and glared at Klaus, hissing out a "shh" through clenched teeth before he regained his focus. He sensed that the hybrid was about to angrily protest, but Wyatt simply held his finger up at Klaus with an air of authority that, surprisingly, had the hybrid falling into some kind of stunned silence. Wyatt suddenly staggered forward as he felt what must have been a small aneurysm, gripping his temples with a low, pained growl. He stumbled to his knees for a moment, before the pain left almost as soon as it'd begun; but he had seen her, he'd seen her. He could find her by following the pull, and he prayed that those bastard witches wouldn't do anything else to her - both for her sake, and also for his. He wouldn't be able to get to her if they did something that knocked her out, because then he'd be knocked out too; it was one disadvantage of this little link of his. He groaned as he got up to his feet again and sent Klaus a sharp glare. "Found her," he hissed out, "now let's go before they hit her with something more severe than an aneurysm so we can actually get to her, and I'm gonna need a few bodies along the way," he informed Niklaus, flashing into the kitchen and grabbing a butcher's knife before taking off on his way.

Hope wasn't exactly sure what had happened, she was only aware of there being a brief struggle, during which Hope had managed to take out eight of them, before they'd gotten past her mental block and taken her down. She must have been knocked out long enough for them to move her to a different location. And it was so incredibly cliche, the way she woke up, chained down and with an incredibly loud growl, found she couldn't break free of them. Fantastic. She was stuck. Hope blew her hair out of her eyes and arched her spine as she tried to wriggle free. She couldn't. There was this distinct tugging, pulling sensation in her mind. It was so familiar and warm and homely. Wyatt. It had to have been. So there was hope. She could stay alive that long.

Klaus waited for Wyatt to move from the kitchen and walk past him out of the door, his eyes looking down at the butcher knife Wyatt had taken, a little surprised smile while he followed Wyatt out of the door. he didn't know if he should say something to the vampire tilting his head to the side as they finally reached the outside,

"I'm more of a hands on person myself," he kidded as they flashed through the city, blindly following his brother until they came to a stop, an underground warehouse, how clever. Klaus heard the heartbeats on the inside, a couple of them, but Klaus and Wyatt were faced with a few witches of their own, already covered in blood from the detour they took on their way, "Wyatt, it seems that we have a little problems, how ever will we get in with these witches standing guard?

Wyatt rolled his eyes and unlinked himself from Hope, now that they'd discovered here whereabouts. He gave Klaus a dull look, before looking back at the witches and putting up a mental block against them as his abilities allowed him to.

"Thing is, Niklaus," he said boldly, smirking as the witches took a small step back as he paced forward once, obviously weary of the vampire that'd slaughtered an entire room of their coven members only a couple of months beforehand and his arrogance, "while you're more of a hands on person," he chirped, an evil glimmer of bloodlust sparkling in his darkened eyes. There was already blood splattered across his clothes, drying on his cheeks and jaw, smeared over his lips, from the bodies he'd drained on their detour while on their way over here. He'd taken as much as he could, doing a messy job of it: two humans, a vampire, and a werewolf despite Niklaus' protests. Wyatt kept the butcher's knife clasped behind his back, grip tightening as he caught sight of a warlock trying to slink their way forward on the outskirts for a surprise attack. "I much prefer to get the job done quickly," he grinned, and in a flash he'd hacked off the creeping warlock's head and torn his way through three of the witches standing guard, ducking his way around to the side of the building to escape a fire bolt that one of the other witches had launched his way.

Hope had probably been there for about an hour, or rather, it felt like an hour, before she heard things outside of the room and people approaching. Hope gritted her teeth and prepared her mental block, but could not do much more than that. Oh, how dearly she wished she could free her arms so that she could cast her spells better, more effectively, and get more of them. It didn't mean she wouldn't fight. From what she'd heard and observed, they very much underestimated her, and so she'd played the part, biding her time. Hope had been storing her energy, simply glaring at people when they'd come in to check on her. But now they were here, and now was the time for action. She unclenched her fist and flicked her wrist as best as she could towards the people that entered the room and managed to set three of them on fire, hitting the other three with the best aneurysms she had. Hope's determined mindset faltered, and her eyes widened, as nothing happened, they simply weren't affected. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the group that had entered. She touched at their minds with her own and growled, sensing that they were all linked. She could do nothing to harm them while they had their power and strength all combined. Hope licked her lips a little nervously now, she couldn't do more than watch them as they neared her. She had to wait for them to start the spell they were obviously beginning to prepare. Hope closed her eyes, and then her face contorted in pain as the first wave of the spell hit her, she gritted her teeth through it and arched her spine, working on manipulating the spell. It would be a difficult feat to achieve undetected.

Klaus continued to stand there and laugh as Wyatt bolted around the building, running up behind the witch and digging his hand into her back, feeling around to see what he would like to pull out, his hands running along her spine, blood pooling out of her mouth as she finally began to die, pulling her heart out and turning around to whip it at one of the warlocks, watching him burn it before it could hit him, and in that time Klaus flashed behind him and bit down into his neck, wrapping his arms around the warlock's head and snapping his neck as he finished his feed. He watched as Wyatt came around the other side, more blood covering him, but Klaus just gave him an exasperated look, throwing his hands up in the air,

"Well it took you long enough," he coughed out as one of the witches tried to give Klaus an aneurysm, and just for fun he went along with it, screaming out as if it really had hurt, how theatrical he felt, once he felt like the witch had enough of an ego boost, he disappeared for a moment, residing on the top of the building, before jumping down and punching her head so hard that it came flying off. The adrenaline running through him gave his blue eyes a dark fade before turning them yellow, looking at the last two witches, giving Wyatt a sarcastically sad look, "Only two left? But the party was just getting started. Now, I think you get one, I get the other, we do sort of a meet in the middle, high five and go save my daughter, yes," he asked before reaching over and patting Wyatt on the shoulder, not waiting for him to answer, "Just brilliant," he exclaimed as he walked towards the witch who was running away, rubbing his hands together.

Wyatt rolled his eyes a little at Klaus' display with a small, sadistic smirk, before he turned to grin at the other remaining witch and cocked his eyebrows up with a harsh little laugh as the witch tried and failed to take him down by setting his body on fire. Wyatt simply flashed over to the witch and wrapped his arms around her, and though the flames burned like hell and had him wanting to keel over, he could easily withstand it; he'd just need a little of the witch's blood afterwards, which was always nice. Witch's blood did wonders to his mind powers, the magic in it adding a spark of power.

"I'm a lot harder to take down than that, sweetheart," he sneered into her ear as she screamed, her own flames being used against her as he held her to his burning body. As he knew it would, the rebound of her attack had her putting out the fire. "Lovely," he chirped sarcastically, "thanks so much, darling," he drawled as his vice-like grip on her body crushed her bones, a hand clutching her neck and pushing it to one side, "your blood will come in ever-so-handy to me," and with that he sunk his teeth into her throat and sucked her dry, swallowing down the hot mouthfuls of sweet blood that sizzled with the essence of dark magic. He finished with his signature style, thrashing his head to one side while his teeth were still in her throat and effectively ripping her head off. He let her body drop to the floor with her head, the head rolling away to one side, and lapped up the remaining blood around his mouth indulgently, flashing over to high five Klaus as the hybrid finished his kill, laughing near-psychotically at the comedy of it.

"Now let's go save our Hope," he said, smirk no longer present on his face and only an expression of pure determination and anger as the pair of them broke into the warehouse and descended into it.

Hope gritted her teeth until her jaw had shattered, and even that was just another hinderance, she had expected, if anything- it would help her, that it would have kickstarted the fast healing, to give her some of her power back. But, no, her fast healing was fucked up, and she had to drain from one, and consequentially all of the witches and warlocks surrounding her in order to actually heal her jaw, and then they blocked her efficiently out of their minds, but it had been enough, and her jaw healed itself. Hope was almost instantly met with a white hot flash of pain that caused her to gasp and almost choke, and then she tipped her head back and screamed. Hope had never screamed so loud. She felt like her soul was being- Her soul was being wrenched from her body. Hope's eyes widened at the realisation, the situation she was stuck in allowed for no further movement, and she started to panic, wriggling and writhing against her deadset restraints, and crying out more desperately. All of a sudden- she detected an opening, a weak link. She had to pounce on it while she could; the spell was nearing it's end, and so she did, she seized control of the youngest and most conscientious warlock, and took over his part in the spell, her mind and the history in the raw power she had told her what to do, and so she manipulated the spell, working as fast as she could, hissing the chants and incantations, managing to pronounce everything correctly through the pain. She would harness this as a weapon. The ignorant morons that surrounded her had no idea what they were unleashing, how much they were actually helping her. Hope gasped and screamed once again, as a stronger flash of pain hit her. They were trying to fight back, and cut her out, but it was too far into the spell, and they couldn't stop her. Hope literally fought for her life, and she could feel herself winning, they couldn't compare to her, not even with all of them together, linked in the way they were. She could do this.

Klaus had a smirk on his face once they high fived and continued on their venture to find Hope, stopping dead in his tracks once he heard his daughter scream bloody murder. It felt like he was being murdered ten times over listening to Hope scream the way she did, like Klaus himself had been sticking the white oak stake in his chest and pulling it out each time before it could do its deed. He didn't wait for Wyatt to follow him, he didn't say a word but use every ounce of supernatural ability inside of him to run after Hope, flashing through all the floors in the underground facility, knocking over tables and taking out any witch or warlock that had crossed his path on his determined quest to find Hope, almost at the ground floor, grabbing two chains that had been off to his side as two witches raised their hands and began to chant out spells, wrapping them around his hands and turning around so they slashed the necks of the witches, their heads going flying off and falling behind him, kicking their bodies to the sides to reach the stairs and soon arriving at the bottom floor, Wyatt soon joining him as he watched Hope shake and quiver, but continue to fight on and take down each witch, one by one. There was a part of Klaus that wanted to jump in and rip each of the members of that coven limb by limb. Rip one of the witches arms off and use it to rip out the heart of one of the other witches. The rage was continuing to sizzle inside of Klaus, but something inside him, the way Hope fought made him want to stay back, like she didn't need any help- almost as if that if he were to help her something would go wrong, she seemed...different. It felt like something holy was going to happen, if he was to believe in any sort of religion,

"Hope," he called out, only to acknowledge his presence, letting her know that if she needed the help was there at her disposal, but she shook her head, he was right, she needed to do this on her own. His littlest wolf was growing up, it was not when she gave birth or got engaged, it was now, watching her fight a fight like this for the first time, at least for his own eyes to see. Klaus tapped into her mind, thinking of a memory the two of them shared, the first day they met, they walked along the alleyway, and he leaned over to her, "you know you can do this right?" he gave her the words of encouragement he knew she would need to finish off this battle, "You're stronger than they are and would ever be," he turned to face her and gave her a small kiss on the forehead in the mind link they shared, "Finish this once and for all, my littlest wolf."

Hope let out the shakiest of breaths and then closed her eyes briefly, flaring her nostrils slightly, the image her father had sent her only served to reimbue the determination and energy she had inside of her now, and when she opened her eyes they were that of a tribrid, it was something unique to witness. Hope didn't show her true eyes very often, but it was a sight to see when she did, like nothing you'd ever seen before, it was beyond description. She opened her eyes again and the warlock nearest to her suddenly had a huge gaping hole in his chest, he gargled blood, and then promptly dropped to the floor. She wasn't sure how she'd done that, but it was somewhat satisfying to see the way his blood was forcing the other witches and warlocks to edge around to be closer together. Good. It was easier to pick them off when they were in a group. But Hope wasn't going to go that route. She had a much better plan, and it was at this point that the spell reached it's apex, and all emotion fell from Hope's face, apart from the sheer agony and terror, and she screamed even louder and longer than she had before, her spine arching off the table, and then she felt it. Her soul left her body, and for about three seconds, Hope Mikaelson was dead. It was the scariest thing. When Hope did regain her state of living, she snarled, a new energy found, but not within her, she glanced down as she felt something heavy on her chest, and was met by two foxes, one pure black and one pure white. They spoke to her. She told them what to do. Hope licked her lips and made eye contact with the black fox... Dagon. He could do this. He blinked at her and then turned to gaze somewhat hauntingly at the witches, who were now all huddled together against the wall, and they all fell to their knees, screaming in the same agony Hope had just endured. Hope wrenched at the restraints and freed herself, finally, she got up, rubbing at her wrists, and then stretched briefly, before allowing her face to fall into a vengeful glare. Dagon wasn't killing them quick enough for her liking, she started to blur around them, taking them out one by one, shortening the process.

Wyatt had trailed behind Niklaus, taking care of the witches and warlocks that the hybrid missed in his flashing fury, speeding through the hallways and ripping them apart. He ripped into them with fangs and nails and an overwhelming lust for vengeance, before finally catching up with Niklaus once there were no remaining witches. The sight of Hope on the ground had Wyatt breaking out into a run, only to collide with Klaus' back and shoulder as the hybrid threw his arm out in front of him. He growled irritably and went to throw Niklaus off of him, before he noticed the same thing that Nik must have. The witches in the circle hadn't even batted an eyelid at his and Niklaus' presence, hadn't even acknowledged their existence let alone tried to fight them out of there. Whatever they were doing was serious, and every bone in Wyatt's body was screaming for him to go in there and rip off each and every head and splatter brains over the concrete, but a quick look into Niklaus' mind had Wyatt reluctantly resigning himself to the status of a bystander along with his brother. He clenched his fists tightly at his sides and watched Hope with an unnervingly intent focus, waiting to catch any sort of signal that he should be helping her, any sort of hint that she needed the two of them. His eyes widened immensely when two animal-like figures seemed to burst from thin air, appearing out of nowhere. He went to lunge forth, lost and thrumming with the burning heat of anger, but Klaus stopped him again, and the two of them stared helplessly, expressions of equal perplexity on their faces, as Hope and two... what, foxes? Hope and two foxes beginning to massacre each remaining coven member one-by-one, 'til eventually there were no witches nor warlocks left in the building aside from herself. Wyatt nearly choked on his next breath, awed and overwhelmed, in a state of pure shock. What in the devil's name was that?"

Hope sighed finally and dropped the last corpse, licking absentmindedly at her lips. What a buzz. A morbid one, but still... a buzz. She'd never been so powerful before, she had no idea that she could be so powerful. She glanced down at herself and realised just how covered in blood she was. She grimaced and then turned to look down at the two foxes that were now rubbing around her legs as if they were house cats. She kind of blinked at them, not exactly sure how or why they were the outcome, but... she didn't much care for an explanation. They'd saved her and made her stronger. Hope would not be one to explain. She now had to do the bit she was dreading, and turned her gaze slowly over to Wyatt and Klaus, and then tugged her sleeve down a bit so she could wipe most of the blood off of her face. She sagged ever so slightly, a little exhausted, but also buzzing with new raw energy. It was perplexing. She approached them slowly, hesitantly, not sure how they would react to her. She'd never felt like she had to be cautious with them like this. She suddenly understood completely what it must have been like to be them, presenting themselves to her after they'd committed an act, in the past. Hope let out a nervous breath, and tucked her hair (matted with blood) back behind her ears.

Klaus stood there in shock as the two foxes and Hope finally finished off the massacre, all this time he...he thought that that was just a myth, something told just for shit and giggles, but it happened. He had had his arm up to stop Wyatt, but he let it down and threw both of his arms around Hope, running his hand through her hair, despite the amount of blood that it was lathered in, kissing her forehead that had also been covered in blood, she had done it, she had won. She reminded him a lot of his mother before she went crazy, a powerful witch who didn't take anything from anyone. He picked her up so he was cradling her in his arms, walking over to Wyatt so he could see her, check her over to see how okay she was, whispering softly to her that she had done well and that he couldn't even begin to explain how proud he was of her, she was definitely a Mikaelson.

"It's okay, princess, I got you," he cooed out the promise, not wanting to let her go, his wolf side showing dominance in the way his hybrid eyes flashed at Wyatt when he tried to grab her, protecting his pup at all costs, nuzzling against Hope with his lips, sharing his warmth with her. "We're going to get you home, I promise. We'll get you all cleaned up and we'll talk about this," he tried to give her encouraging words to the best of his abilities, trying to keep her awake from the exhaustion that was spelling over her.

Wyatt glared a little darkly at Klaus, his fangs dropping a little as an involuntary snarl tore its way out of his throat. He growled under his breath and took a reluctant step to the side, though every urge in his body had him wanting to just take Hope into his arms and cradle her and make sure for himself that she was okay. He glanced down at the little fox buggers that'd now begun to nuzzle their way around his ankles, and he bore his fangs at them, letting his eyes shift a little. Foxes, wolves. Didn't like either of them. He stepped over them to get himself from out of their little snuggle circle and rolled his eyes, every line of his body taut with unreleased wrath and the buzz of irritation.

"Let's just go," he snarled, booming his way up the stairs to exit the warehouse. There was a half-dead body in his way as he walked, a warlock that hadn't yet died off completely. Wyatt took out a little anger on him, kicking through the bottom of the man's jaw hard enough that his shoe went through it, and the head flew off outside. He didn't particularly care about the mess he and Klaus had left behind out here; someone else would deal with it. They were nowhere close to home.

Hope frowned vaguely at whatever the fuck it was that was going on- honestly, it had all been such a blur that she had no clue, but she allowed it all to happen, anyway, trusting her fiance and her father to get them out of there. She protested as Klaus reached the foot of the stairs and stretched out a little in his arms to reach down for her foxes and then huffed and kind of tugged them towards her with her mind, and they appeared in her arms, she settled back down into the cradle Klaus had made for her in his arms, and watched Wyatt's back steadily as Klaus carried her. She didn't even flinch when he took his anger out on a half dead warlock, she was weirdly numbed to violence by now. She was way past being scared of his darker side. They'd surpassed that hurdle. She hummed absentmindedly and stroked Meridia's head, wondering what it was the white fox could do. It was clear Dagon was her destructive side, and that Meridia was meant to be his opposite, but Hope wasn't sure what it was she could do. Hope huffed a little and then glanced from Meridia to Klaus, and then all of a sudden, as if sensing what Hope wanted, the little fox turned to stare up at Nik, and healed him. Hope blinked and then let out a small delighted type noise, and got Meridia to do the same for Wyatt. This would come in handy.

Klaus smiled as the little fox healed him, rolling his shoulders back once they were outside and he felt he had gotten all his strength back. He began to think about how he was going to explain this to Hope, but truth be told, he didn't know how, this one went right over his head, a story he heard centuries ago, something he had thrown in the back of his mind, a distant memory. He flashed towards Mystic Falls, due to the fact they had been a few towns over at this point, following the trail of dead bodies they had left, like Hansel and Gretel with the bread crumbs, the smell of blood almost a bit too overwhelming for him, making his bloodlust spark up, but not something a thousand year old hybrid couldn't control,

"I think we should get our own story, Wyatt," he finally spoke out once they finally reached the Mikaelson Mansion, trying to lighten up the mood before they would have to go over what had just happened. They all walked into the living room and Klaus placed Hope on the couch, sitting on the edge and stroking her hair, taking deep breaths to keep himself calm so he wouldn't throw himself into a fit of rage once more, especially with Hope like this, "Start from the beginning," he lead her, making a motion for Wyatt to get her a blood bag, "Where were you that they were able to take you away? Why are they so keen on killing you?" he grabbed the blood bag and ripped it open before handing it off to Hope.

Wyatt rolled his eyes a little with the least enthusiastic snort of amusement that anyone could ever have mustered, letting out a heaved, halfhearted sigh as he shook his head tiredly at Klaus' attempt at humour. He immediately went over to the drinks cabinet when the trio arrived in the Mikaelson mansion, grabbing a bottle of strong Bourbon and pouring himself a small glass. He downed it in one, swallowing the entire thing in one burning gulp, and then quickly refilled and repeated the process. The foxes strolled up around his legs again, nuzzling at him. Wyatt gritted his jaw against his annoyance and simply finished his drink before moving to get a blood bag or two for Hope as instructed. He returned seconds later and sat on the edge of the sofa, lifting Hope up and sliding underneath her, resting her head in his lap and offering her one of the blood bags, holding the other in one hand while his free hand gently traced the line of her brow, his eyes fixated on her with deep worry and concern.

Hope sighed contentedly, her face and stance lost a lot, if not all, of the stress it had held before, now that Wyatt was with her. She was more settled now that he was there, tending to her. She hummed a little tiredly as she watched him, a certain adoration to her gaze that suggested she'd been distacted from the questions, and then had to force herself to snap out of it, glancing over to Klaus,

"I was out looking for Boone, actually. They must have got to him or his phone, somehow, because I received a series of worrying texts. I went looking for him. I assume he's the one who told you I'd been taken?" She asked, and then nodded once it was confirmed. She frowned a little as she had to recount the memories, taking one of Wyatt's hands in her own and holding it for comfort,

"Dad, they want to kill me for the same reason they've always wanted to kill me. I've offended their concept of nature by existing." Hope shrugged minimally and focused on the blood bag she'd been offered and then wriggled her nose, shaking her head. She was pretty much full, actually.

Wyatt growled a little at the talk of the witches wanting to kill his lover, their petty, elitist ways never failing to piss him off endlessly. He cradled Hope's face in his hand, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone with a small frown as she rejected the blood bag. A quick dip into her mind told him that she was fairly full, which had him confused, but he simply brushed it aside and sunk his own fangs into the bag; he hadn't been terribly injured, but he was a little sore and lacerated, and the ripper was always thirsting for more blood. He sucked harshly on the chemical plastic, ignoring its cheap tasting presence in favour of focusing on the taste of thick blood pouring down his throat. The whole time, his hand never left Hope's face, fingertips and thumb smoothing over her soft skin in soothing little patterns, needing to be close and touching her in some way or another.


	23. Twenty Three: Clingy

Wyatt grumbled as he slowly roused into consciousness. The sunlight slipping through the blinds was blinding in its intensity, bright in that way winter sunshine always was, reflecting off the snow and bouncing into your eyes. He groaned and curled his arms tighter around Hope's waist, her skin hot to the touch and the heat practically radiating off of her.

"Do we have to go out?" He asked her moodily, the thickness of sleep in his voice as he huffed.

Hope was woken by Wyatt's insistent clinging to her waist, and sighed lethargically and stretched out, blinking harshly as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. She glanced down to Wyatt, who was a lot closer to her than she had expected him to be, and hummed sleepily, pressing a sleepy kiss to his cheek,

"G'morning to you, too..." She mumbled, closing her eyes to try and go back to sleep, but she had a feeling Wyatt was feeling petulant and wouldn't let her. She tried, anyway, it was always worth a shot. She sighed again, lightly and fidgeted about in his hold.

Wyatt scowled a little and grumbled some more, tugging her closer again as she tried to squirm away from his grasp.

"No," he rumbled, "warm. Mine. Stop it." He snuggled up to her and tugged the duvet so it was over his head, of which was laying on her breast bone, his arms around her slim waist. Distractedly, on some unconscious level, he appreciated the way she slotted into his arms like her body had been carved expertly to fit the clasp of his embrace. He huffed and closed his eyes again, enjoying the warm darkness, fingertips lightly tracing over her soft skin.

Hope made a tiny, pretty much not there sound of protest and resigned herself to being snuggled at an intense level. She curled her arms around Wyatt's shoulders and kept her eyes closed, making another humming sound, which was meant to suffice as communication. Hope was about to drift off back to sleep when her mind jumped to the twins. The twins. They had to get up and take care of Cassia and Jakobe. Well, one of them did, anyway. Hope was very much enjoying her current situation, and was very reluctant to even think of getting out of it, she clung Wyatt a little tighter and allowed herself five more minutes of laying with the one she loved, before she groaned quietly and leaned down to press a fleeting kiss to his lips, and wriggled away from him. She stretched as she sat on the edge of the bed, and then got to her feet, and wandered off to take a shower in their en suite.

Wyatt made a loud moan of protest, reaching out for Hope with a pout on his lips and a twist of despair in his expression, trying to coax her into staying in bed with him for the entire day. He groaned obnoxiously as the sound of the twins stirring into wakefulness and beginning to cry drew his attention, and when it was apparent that, no, Hope would not be getting back into bed with him, and that, yes, he was expected to be a responsible parent today, Wyatt growled under his breath and tossed the duvet back, slipping out of bed and pulling on a pair of sweatpants and his white sleep shirt, shuffling into the twins room to take care of them.

Hope emerged a little while later, and quickly got dressed, she made her way into the twins' room and found Wyatt there, already taking care of them, she hummed in appreciation and came up behind him to wrap her arms around him and press a kiss to the spot just behind a little below of his ear,

"M'sorry, baby. We could have stayed in bed if it was just us, but it's not. We'll find a day where Klaus is free to take them over night and we can have some time to ourselves." She promised, nuzzling the spot behind his ear with her nose, still a little sleepy, she inhaled his scent, and that, mixed with the smell of her freshly washed hair, made her very content. She cooed her morning greeting to the twins, who had spotted her and were now clamouring for her attention.

Wyatt hummed a little and turned around in her arms, wrapping his arms around her for a moment as he listened to her.

"M'kay," he grumbled, reluctantly complying. He turned around again after pressing a small kiss to her cheek and bent down, scooping up Cassia and handing her over to Hope, before he took Jakobe into his arms and rested him on his hip. The twins had been changed, and Wyatt and Hope had bathed them last night so they wouldn't need another until tonight. All that was left to do was feed them, so Wyatt nodded his head towards the hallway and descending down to the kitchen, opening the fridge and producing two bottles of breast milk, shaking them a little before putting them into the microwave.

Hope accepted her daughter readily and took a few moments to lift her up and murmur to her, pressing sweet little kisses to her face before settling her on Hope's hip. She stroked the baby's hair back from her face and turned the motion into her stroking her little cheek aswell, cooing to her as she followed Wyatt. She began to prepare the high chairs, and put Cassia in hers, strapping her in gently, and then moved over to Wyatt, taking Jakobe from him and placing their son in his own high chair, also strapping him in.

Wyatt hummed a little and boiled the kettle for two coffees as the milk bottles were warming up in the microwave, and reached up into the top cupboard, producing a box of Weetabix and putting a biscuit into each of the twins' little plastic bowls, mashing them up with some whole milk. He stopped the microwave for a moment to add the bowls of weetabix in, glancing over at Hope with the twins with a small smile. They'd eat and drink all of it, he knew; hungry little wolves that they were. Wyatt returned to making his and Hope's coffees, stirring them up in their mugs. They could eat after the babies, or at the market. They'd probably eat at the market.

Hope guessed it was her turn to entertain the twins as Wyatt made the breakfast, they took it in unspoken turns to do so. She crouched down by them and allowed Cassia to tug on her hair. Luckily Jakobe was much less violent, and so he simply poked her face a bit and grasped at her bottom lip, she pouted at him so he could get a better grip,

"Have some patience, babies. Papa is making your breakfast as fast as he can." She murmured to them, the assurance coming out a little mumbled and incoherent as Jakobe was playing about with her lip. She raised an eyebrow at Cassia, how was now tugging lightly on her earlobe, "Cassie, baby, you don't want to hurt mummy, do you?"

Wyatt took the bottles and the bowls from the microwave when it dinged, pushing two little lilac plastic spoons into the bowls with the warm Weetabix. He tucked the bottles under his arms and took the bowls in each hand, carrying them through to the living room and setting them down on the trays in front of the twins, chuckling a little at the scene before him, Hope crouched down, letting the twins poke and pull at her face and hair. He placed the bottles next to the bowls, keeping the lids on for the meantime while they'd be feeding the babies their Weetabix. He quickly flashed through to the kitchen and grabbed their coffees, handing Hope hers upon return, before he grabbed their chairs and sat down in front of Jakobe, sipping his coffee and then placing it in the free space on the tray before scooping some Weetabix and beginning to feed his son.

Hope huffed a little and gently disconnected the twins' grabby hands from her, wincing a little as they refused to let go. She narrowed her eyes at Wyatt a little as she accepted her coffee,

"It's always me. The only ever want to maim me." She grumbled, taking a sip from her coffee, taking a moment to stretch inbetween setting down her coffee and scooping up the little plastic bowl. She teleported a stool to her from the kitchen, giving Wyatt a little smirk as she did so, pretending she wasn't going to do the same for him before following through with it. Now that they were sat, they could feed the twins. She held a hand up to Wyatt before the spoon came into contact with Jakobe's lips, and took the precaution of letting some of the food drip onto the back of her hand. She nodded to signify it was okay to continue, and that the temperature was okay. It was just the case of the bowl being hotter than it's contents. It was fine. She began to feed Cassia.

Wyatt arched his eyebrows a little as he watched Hope, shaking his head a little with a small smile, chuckling to himself as he sighed and finally fed Jakobe his first spoonful of Weetabix. He glanced over at Hope as she spooned cereal to Cassia, and took a sip of his coffee whilst Jakobe was mouthing at his food and working on swallowing it.

"We're buying presents today then, yeah?" He asked, huffing as Jakobe spat a little out. He quickly grabbed the little spoon again and scooped up the small blob of soggy Weetabix from Jakobe's chin, pushing the spoon between his lips and making him eat it properly. He scooped up some more when Jakobe had swallowed that and pushed it into his mouth again, making a pleased noise when Jakobe more readily accepted this one. Wyatt glanced at Hope and admired her for a moment, before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her cheeks.

Hope was doing considerably better with feeding Cassia. Their daughter was a lot less fussy than their son was when it came to food. She was busy cooing and smiling, and generally just encouraging Cassia as she ate, and didn't realise Wyatt had stopped feeding Jakobe to admire her, and in fact she hadn;t heard him speak, either. She paused to take a sip of coffee, and was almost startled as she turned back by Wyatt's lips on her cheek. She instinctively turned her face towards him, smiling affectionately, cupping the other side of his face,

"What did you say?" She asked, but then dipped into his thoughts anyway. She wriggled her nose and scooped up another spoonful to feed to Cassia, "Yeah, we'll get presents today." She murmured, focused on the little baby she was charged with feeding, and glanced at her fiance after she had spoken to see if he agreed with her.

Wyatt snorted a little and chuckled, shaking his head with a fondly exasperated sigh as he rolled his eyes playfully. He glanced at Jakobe in his peripheral vision, giving him the side eye and pulling a funny face.

"What's she like, eh?" He mouthed, scrunching his nose up, before quickly slipping back into his original position and continuing to feed Jakobe, who had laughed and consequently let a mesh of half-dissolved Weetabix fall out of his mouth. Wyatt sighed heavily - thank God for bibs, huh.

"That sounds fine with me," he told Hope absentmindedly as he took a wet wipe from his pocket and cleaned up the bottom of Jakobe's chin. "We'll get some breakfast while we're there, yeah?"

Hope nodded along amicably and smacked Wyatt round the back of the head without looking at him as punishment for his mockery. She huffed and continued with feeding Cassia. At least her daughter wouldn't mock or judge her. Right as she thought that, Cassia gave the most judgemental look she'd ever seen on a baby. She sighed sadly and kept her head down, quickly finishing feeding the baby breakfast. She blurred away to the kitchen to wash up and sterilise the equipment used, and returned to finish her coffee. She stood next to where Wyatt sat, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his forehead,

"Sounds good." She murmured.

Wyatt flinched and let out a harsh sort of hissing exhale, a breathy "ahh" escaping him as he ducked forward and scowled at Hope. He snorted a little, however, at the expression on Cassia's face, pouting a little and pressing a kiss to Hope's shoulder when she ducked her head. Wyatt handed her Jakobe's now-empty bowl as she got up, smiling at her as she blurred away with it. He returned his attention to Jakobe, who was staring at him with an odd look on his face.

"What, is there something wrong with my face?" Wyatt asked his son, arching an eyebrow. Jakobe just blew a spit bubble. Wyatt sighed. He leaned into Hope's embrace when she returned and wrapped herself around him, closing his eyes and humming softly at the press of her lips.

Hope smiled down at him briefly and then retrieved her phone from her pocket, she squinted at the time and then turned to look out of the window for any sign of Klaus and Boone. They were supposed to be here to take care of the twins. She narrowed her eyes at the fact they were late and leaned on Wyatt as she dialed Boone's number. Klaus never answered his phone, especially when he was with Boone. She was immediately met with a very out of breath and frantic Boone, and she merely raised her eyebrow and listened as Boone rushed on and on with a list of reasons, explanations and excuses. She glanced down to Wyatt,

"Boone-" she tried to intercept him, but Boone's tirade was too much. She sighed and handed Wyatt the phone.

Wyatt squinted a little as he heard Boone ramble off his excuses down the phone, before sighing exasperatedly and rolling his eyes. He could hear Klaus chuckling in that smug way of his somewhere behind Boone. Wyatt glanced up at Hope when she looked down at him, arching an eyebrow, before sighing as he was handed the phone. He put it to his ear, flinching a little at the excess of words tumbling from his brother.

"You've got a bad case of verbal diarrhea there, brother," he drawled, smirking a little when the sound of his voice shut Boone up for a moment. When his brother went to talk again, Wyatt just sighed and silenced him. "Shut up and get here as fast as you can. I don't care about your excuses," he said with an air of authority, pleased when Boone complied. Moments later, there was a thud that told of the pair's arrival.

Hope smirked a little and patted Wyatt's shoulder proudly,

"This is why I love you." She murmured, leaning down to press a firm, if somewhat teasing and undeniably passionate kiss to his lips, she nudged his nose with hers as she moved away, and ran a hand through his hair as she disentangled herself from him. She got the twins out of their high chairs and rested both of them on either one of her hips, and made her way over to the front door to greet her father and his partner. She met them with an unimpressed look, but smiled and kissed them both on the cheek, handing a twin to each of them.

Wyatt snorted a little and returned her kiss, then turned to grab the twins' bags and the double pram. He set the bags in the bottom with their nappies, bottles and milk, as well as a few toys and changes of clothes, and then he rolled the double pram to the front door, quirking his eyebrows up a little at Boone and Klaus.

"Here ya go, uncle n' gramps," he smirked, amused as Klaus' expression soured considerably. Wyatt flashed him a shit-eating grin as he clapped his brother's shoulder, then turned to Hope and kissed her cheek. He flashed upstairs and took a quick shower, and brushed his teeth afterwards while he dried off. Dressing into a simple pair of black, fitted jeans and a white t-shirt and navy blue cardigan, he grabbed his wallet and slipped his feet into his combat boots. He was done in around 15 minutes, and returned downstairs, pulling on his winter button-down and a beanie.

"Ready, gorgeous?" He asked, pocketing his wallet.

Hope turned to him an nodded, causing the bobble on her beanie to bob about enthusiastically, she gave him a once over and then an approving wink, blowing a kiss at him. She pushed off from where she had been leaning against the wall, chatting in with twins more than Klaus and Boone as Cassia and Jakobe were sat in their pram, still. She sensed Klaus' over-protective-father type glare on her and glanced over to give him a sweet little unassuming look,

"It's just a pet name." She informed him, raising an eyebrow, and then sighed and bid them her farewells. She crouched down infront of the twins and made sure their little hats and scarves, mittens and coats were on them properly, and kissed them both on the cheek, "See you later. Mummy loves you."

Wyatt leaned down and kissed each twin's forehead, before he stood up straight again and clasped Hope's hand, smirking a little and arching his eyebrows at Nik and Boone as they passed them by. He glanced down at Hope as they walked down the driveway to the roadside with a small smile, leaning over to press a kiss to her temple before sighing and standing tall again, tilting his head up and inhaling the cold, winter air and its clear-fresh scent. The pair turned down the street and started to head towards the main town where the Christmas market and all its festive wonders would be located, the satisfying sound of snow scrunching beneath their shoes as they walked.

"If you had one chance to make a Christmas wish and have it come true, what would you wish for?" Wyatt asked, casting his eyes down again to observe his fiancée.

Hope raised her eyebrows at that and cocked her head as they walked, seriously pondering over the question. She snorted suddenly,

"I would wish for that damn grimoire to show up that tells me how to conjure spirit companions. Imagine how cool that would be- Imagine me strolling down the street with this wolf at my side." She enthused, and laughed at his reaction. She wrapped her arms around his waist so as to be closer to him as they walked, basking in the warmth the woolly nature of his clothes offered. Of course, his body never exuded any heat, but his clothes did. She rested her head lightly, briefly on his chest as they walked, and then gave a serious answer to his question, "I'd wish for the past to stay in the past for once, and leave you alone."

Wyatt snorted a little and shook his head at her initial answer, rolling his eyes with an amused sort of exasperation. He sighed heavily and leaned down to press a kiss to her temple as she wrapped her arms around him, hooking his arm around her shoulders and holding her against him, giving her a small squeeze as he sighed out, "fucking wolves," chuckling as she squinted at him. At her final, serious answer, Wyatt simply looked at her for a moment, pausing in his steps. His eyes flickered over her expression, before he leaned down and pressed a heart-felt kiss to her lips, communicating everything he felt in that moment through the touch of their lips.

Hope hadn't been expecting the pause in their walk, and staggered a little, glad that he was holding her. She felt his eyes on him and turned to blink up at him, she hadn't realised she'd done something especially worthy of this reaction, as she always thought like this, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She grinned up at him and leaned up onto her tiptoes a little to kiss him back. She made a small delighted noise at the feeling behind it and felt there was heat in her cheeks when he pulled away. She was blushing, This was the worst weather for it. She tried to angle her face away from him as they walked, but her fiance being who he was, the effort she had made to do so had been in vain.


	24. Twenty Four: Royal Blood

Hope let out the smallest whine as she was woken by two attention hungry foxes sniffing her cheek, she was too tired to move them until Dagon licked her chin, and that was what woke her up to a state of being able to function to a certain extent. She couldn't do very much, however, as she had Wyatt wrapped around her, clinging on to her, and these foxes practically on her chest. Hope wheezed and wriggled about uncomfortably. Wyatt wasn't the problem, she would be comfortable in his arms anyday, it was the factor of her not being able to move away from the foxes that caused her discontent. She huffed and tried to bat them away a little. Hope scowled at them and narrowed her eyes, telling them mentally that they would be severely punished if they woke Wyatt up.

Wyatt grumbled a little at the squirming he felt going on in his arms and against his chest, making a sleepy, discontent sound under his breath. He rumbled quietly in his chest and shifted in his place, making an aggravated sound when he felt the ticklish brush of fur against his arm. Now half awake, Wyatt mumbled out an incoherent slur of expletives and shoved the furry thing away from him. At once, however, as his hand laid on the warm body of a small animal, Wyatt found himself snapping awake. He lurched up into a seated position and glared harshly at the foxes, glowering them into submission 'til they whined and slipped away from the bed.

Hope whined quietly at being released so suddenly and unexpectedly and rolled away from him to bury her face into a pillow and try to continue her sleep. She needed to find a way to stop the foxes from doing that. It wasn't like she had complete control over them, as they were mainly driven by their own intent and will, in the same way anyone else would have no control over the substance or state of their soul. It was more her subconscious. They seemed to just be drawn to be near her, and treated her much like any overly affectionate pet would an owner. The problem was that they were often annoying and clingy, and overbearing, and they liked Wyatt a lot, too, as after all, they were her soul, but he disliked them rather strongly. Hope mumbled tiredly and stretched, tugging the covers up over her again and curling up to try and keep warm.

Wyatt scowled at the foxes and continued to do so until they'd sulked off into the corner of the room, where a mass of pillows and blankets had been set up for them to sleep on. Wyatt had wanted to stick them in a kennel downstairs, or at least outside, but then Hope had reminded him - rather sternly - that they were not simply pets, that they were manifestations of her soul. He'd huffed and grumbled, but of course she'd been right. Wyatt watched the two foxes for a moment longer before sighing heavily and dropping back down onto the bed, wrapping his arms around Hope once more and curling up to her, cuddling into her side and resting his head against her shoulder, huffing as he let his eyes fall shut once more.

Hope made a soft sleepy noise and wriggled about as gently as she could to turn around in his arms and loop her arms around his neck,

"M'sorry... foxes..." She mumbled vaguely, bumping her nose against the line of his jaw, and then ducked her head to bury her face in his neck, shuffling over to press up against him a bit better, sighing in relief at the preferred level of proximity. They always slept like this. They were one of those couples.

Wyatt hummed a little and tilted his head down to press a kiss to her temple, sighing softly through his nose.

"S'okay," he mumbled groggily, attempting to return to his once-restful state. He shifted a little to tangle their legs and wriggled somewhat closer, so that they were virtually touching from head to toe. Her warmth soothed him a little, practically searing through the thin cotton of his pyjama bottoms and white t-shirt. He made a more content noise and finally relaxed against her, a sleepy "I love you" fumbling past his lips.

Hope gave a happy little sleepy hum, and nuzzled her cheek gently against his neck, her ear pressed against the pulse point, listening intently to his heartbeat, and she smiled peacefully,

"Love you, too." She murmured, her sweet breath fanning over the sensitive skin of his neck. She wriggled her toes a little and moved her leg a little to smooth the back of her heel up and down the length of his shin, before settling down, content that his leg was warmer than it had been. She rubbed her hand over the bare skin of his arm that his sleep shirt didn't cover, and then wrapped her arms around him.

Wyatt made a soft noise and snuggled into Hope. He was content to simply lie there with her in the thick quietness of the late morning, the winter sunlight just about managing to peep through the cracks in the blinds but not enough to cause a disturbance. There was a stillness to the atmosphere that made everything feel tranquil and absolute, like nothing could disrupt this simple moment of peace for the two of them. Wyatt nuzzled his nose softly against Hope's temple and inhaled a lungful of her soft, soothing scent, like cotton sheets and something sweet - though not too sweet. She was better than any blanket.

Hope stirred eventually, about two hours later, and yawned, stretching out like a cat, but of course she limited the motion, so as to not disturb the love of her life, still sleeping next to her. She frowned a little as she woke, basking in the temporary warmth the winter sun offered her as it bled through the blinds and onto her bare skin. Hope huffed tiredly and rubbed at her eyes, pulling the strap of her vest back up over her shoulder to rest where it was supposed to. She thought very briefly about getting up but then found she had neither the desire or the will to, much preferring to stay in the solace of her fiance's embrace, she simply distanced herself slightly enough to watch his face as he slept. Hope admired the vulnerability. She gave a very stern look to the foxes, spotting them approaching the bed from where she was lying, and she was happy when they slouched off downstairs somewhere. She guessed they were going to go and sit with the twins in their room, they liked to sit there and stand guard over them while they were in there.

Wyatt's brow furrowed a little as he slept, his dreams taking a strange, darker turn. He shifted a little uncomfortably in Hope's arms, stirring, now restless, as images that'd been scarred into his mind flashed behind his eyelids. He recoiled slightly, then somehow managed to wake himself up before anything became too graphic. He took a moment to adjust to the brighter light in the room, early afternoon sun illuminating every object and casting shadows over the floor. Wyatt focused on Hope, lying there before him, eyes wide and earnest, gorgeous hazel hues blinking back at him; he sighed a little, feeling more settled by the mere sight of her.

"Hi," he mumbled under his breath, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. Her presence alone was enough to soothe him. She was good for that, acted like a medicine to his illnesses by mere existence alone. Simply, she made him better when they were together.

Hope pressed a hand to his forehead, soothing him with her powers as had become ritual for the two of them whenever he was affected by the trauma of his past. She smiled at him calmly, nuzzling his leg with her foot, and pressing a soft morning kiss to the corner of his mouth simultaneously,

"Hey," she replied quietly, harmoniously, and let her eyes travel over his features, relaxing when they smoothed out again, and once he was at peace again. She remembered with a small momentary panic that they had been supposed to get up to take care of the twins, but then settled down immediately upon realising they were with Klaus and Boone for the weekend, giving Hope and Wyatt some alone time. She grinned and snuggled closer to him again, rubbing his back.

Wyatt huffed a little in vague amusement at her sudden panic, smiling faintly as he watched the process of her calming herself down again. He sighed contentedly as she snuggled into him, making a pleased noise at the stroke of her hands at his back. Wyatt tilted his head down and nosed lightly behind Hope's ear, lips pursing slightly to brush over her temple.

"You have really soft hair," he commented absentmindedly, noting its silky smooth feel against his skin - it wasn't that he'd only just noticed, but he thought it might have been either the first or one of very few comments he'd made on it. He liked it. It felt nice. "So what do you wanna do today?" He asked her, arching an eyebrow.

Hope allowed herself a full body stretch now that Wyatt was awake, stretching out like a cat, sighing in satisfaction once she had done so. Hope hummed at his compliment, smiling at him in a way that suggested she was very much loved up. She reached up to brush his hair back off his forehead, only to tousle it a bit and turn her smile into a grin once she noted his happy reaction. He loved it when she did that. Hope dragged herself up the bed a little to be more level with him, leaning forward to kiss him with more ease, nibbling lightly, fleetingly, on his lip. She began to trace the definitions of his face absentmindedly, as she thought over his question. What did she want to do? Hope glanced away towards their feet as she thought,

"Something we wouldn't have been able to do if the twins were here." She decided, pondering over it, "Something fun." She added.

Wyatt hummed softly as he smiled, tilting his head back into Hope's touch as she messed with his hair. He kissed her back with ease, relaxing into her, only to find himself blinking a little as she pulled away once more. He turned his face slightly into the traces of her fingertips, twitching a little in response to the soft, ticklish touches. He glanced down and followed Hope's gaze, arching his eyebrows a little as she pondered.

"Something we couldn't do if the twins were here?" Wyatt questioned her, smirking suggestively, laughing and ducking back when Hope grabbed one of the bed pillows and thwacked him across the face. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, pursing his lips. "I haven't had a drink in a while," he said contemplatively after a moment's silence, arching an eyebrow as he looked to her with an inquisitive gaze.

Hope raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief,

"I somehow very strongly doubt that." She answered, giving him a look, and scoffing lightly once he tried to deny it. She was reluctant to even plot getting out of bed, but they had to. They had to spend their free time wisely, or else the opportunity would pass them by. She sighed lightly and then hummed, licking her lips and nodding, "So, are you suggesting we go out? The last time we went out to a bar, you smashed a guy's face into the bar and we left him in a dumpster to die." She reminded him, amusement lacing her tone. That had been pretty fun, actually, and the evening had ended pretty enjoyably.

Wyatt huffed heavily and rolled his eyes. He quirked his eyebrows upwards as she recalled to him the last time they'd been out in public together, and Wyatt shrugged. A smirk returned to his face once again, and he noted that she was also amused by this memory and not so exasperated or despairing as one might assume their lover to be. In fact, she had assisted him in getting rid of the body. Wyatt nodded his head a little once he'd thought the idea over, lips quirking up at one corner.

"That is absolutely what I'm suggesting," he told her, tone assured.

Hope groaned lightly and then nodded, throwing her head back in a dramatic motion, and then bringing it back down to look at him,

"What's the suggested dress code, here? The one I went with last time resulted in possible murder. Are we looking for that to occur again or are we keeping it safe?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him, cocking her head, throwing her arm loosely around his neck, tangling the other hand in his hair, massaging his scalp lightly. That was another talent of hers.

Wyatt grumbled contentedly and tilted his head back into Hope's touch, closing his eyes with a soft grumble. He huffed and let his eyes fall shut, only to crack them open a little moments later and squint at Hope.

"I say we dress to impress, with the potential for death," he said, rather poetically, with a sinister sort of smirk on his face. He chuckled a little and licked his lips, arching his eyebrows slightly. One could never assure a death-free outing when they were within the world of the supernatural, least of all if they were planning to head out with Wyatt for company.

Hope huffed sulkily, and began the difficult procedure of disentangling herself from Wyatt,

"Why do you have to be so ridiculously good looking?" She moaned as she had to literally drag herself out of the bed, and had to roll off the side of it with a small 'oof'. She sighed and laid there for a moment before getting up and trudging off towards the en suite bathroom to have a shower. It was a daily struggle for Hope to get out of bed when she woke up next to someone who looked the way Wyatt did. It was the biggest struggle of her day, she'd say, even considering the shit she had to go through on such a regular basis. Hope returned shortly after, in her towel, and towel dried her hair briefly, before starting to get dressed. She was lucky that she never had to do anything to her hair, it was rather independent and obedient, and dried perfectly on it's own. She was going to straighten it tonight, however, and so she turned her straighteners on.

Wyatt snorted a little when Hope rolled off of the bed and landed on the floor with an 'oomph' sound. He huffed out a little chuckle and laid back, crossing his arms behind his head with a soft hum, a languid smirk on his face as he watched Hope leave the bedroom and enter the en suite bathroom. There was a certain aura of smugness to his aura as he listened to Hope's inner-monologue about the difficulties of dragging herself away from his good looks, and he preened slightly, chest puffing despite no one being around to see it. When she returned after her shower, Wyatt spent a long moment appreciating her before eventually he sighed and got himself up, going to take his own shower.

By the time Wyatt had returned, Hope was fully ready to go- makeup done, hair straightened and therefore a lot longer than usual, form fitting dress, somewhat dark and smoky makeup, and everything about her appearance suggested she could either be about to cup your cheeks or snap your neck. Hope glanced up to him, she had been texting Klaus, inquiring about the wellbeing of the babies, and she took a moment to appreciate the sight of Wyatt fresh from the shower in a towel. She sighed happily and then returned to her phone,

"Now I'm glad we got out of bed." She murmured, knowing he had been listening to her thoughts from before.

Wyatt smirked a little, snorting once again at her reaction. He paused by the wall for a moment, leaning as he took in her appearance, very much appreciating the aesthetic of her outfit and they way the dress hugged her body.

"It's like you want to see me slaughter men tonight," Wyatt chuckled smoothly, quirking an eyebrow up. "Lord knows any man with eyes won't be able to look away from you tonight." He huffed a little and moved over to his drawers, applying some deodorant before pulling on some fitted black boxers. He dressed himself in tight dark grey jeans, a khaki green Henley that clung to his musculature, and a pair of semi-worn combat boots. He turned and grabbed his leather jacket, pocketing his wallet and spraying a single squirt of cologne, before quirking his eyebrows a little at Hope. It appeared they were both ready now. Wyatt walked over to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, before taking her hand in his and interlacing their fingers.

"M'lady," he joked teasingly, winking with a small, slight smile.

Hope scoffed at him and half rolled her eyes, accepting his hand and getting to her feet, tugging her dress down with her free hand, managing the small clutch bag she had along with actually pulling the dress down, proud of her little achievement,

"Well, at least we know that if the night ends up being uneventful, we can always resort to murder, eh?" She joked back, swinging their arms between them as they walked. Minutes later they were at the bar Wyatt had suggested.

Wyatt glanced at Hope as they entered the bar. Immediately, he placed his arm around her shoulders and hauled her closer to him. He glanced over the clientele and narrowed his eyes a little, but mostly people were involved in their own business.

"Drink, love?" He asked Hope, flashing her a charming smile. Hope huffed a little at being pulled against him so suddenly, but adjusted to it rather quickly,

"Mmm, yes please." She murmured to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, eyes scanning over the interior of the place, drifting over the people, doing her usual people watching. Wyatt nodded a little and walked them up to the bar, snapping his fingers at the bartender and getting their attention, beckoning them over despite the fact that they were about to serve another customer. He ordered Hope's favourite drink along with a bourbon for himself, glancing down and pressing a kiss to Hope's cheek as they waited. Hope smirked a little and glanced up to him, reaching over to wipe a bit of her lipstick off of his cheek, leftover from where she had kissed him there earlier,

"If that woman across the bar doesn't stop staring at you I'm going to remove her eyes." She commented pleasantly, smiling calmly. Wyatt chuckled a little and side-eyed the woman looking at him, glancing her up and down before smirking at Hope, quirking his eyebrows up a little.

"She's got nothing on you, baby," he murmured, lips brushing against her ear as he leant down, meanwhile his hands were busy grabbing the drinks. Hope grinned, and bumped her nose against his cheek affectionately,

"I love you." She told him, smiling and tilting her head calmly, hitting the woman with the slightest of aneurysm's, forcing her to look away from Wyatt. Hope carried on looking at him, expression unassuming, as if nothing had happened. Wyatt arched an eyebrow as he glanced over his shoulder at the woman again, before glancing back at Hope with a cocky sort of sly smile.

"After you, gorgeous," he said lowly, winking at her. He followed her to the table, casually forcing a man to smack himself when he noticed him checking out Hope's figure. Hope snorted lightly at the sound of a hand meeting a cheek and immediately guessed what had happened. That was so typically Wyatt. It was weird, though. She seemed to be desensitised to this kind of thing now. It didn't bother her. She actually enjoyed it. She began to ponder this as she took a seat at the table, sipping on her drink. Wyatt let his eyes roam over his fiancée, a calculative sort of look on his face. He chuckled a little as he took his seat, swallowing down a mouthful of his bourbon as he dipped into her mind.

"I said I'd be no good for you," he said, a dull, half smile on his face as he let his eyes flicker over her. Hope huffed and shook her head, taking his free hand in hers and holding them on her lap,

"Nonsense. You're perfect for me." She disagreed, frowning, "Character development, remember?" She reminded him, winking at him. Hope felt she was stronger this way, to be honest. She needed to be this way to survive in this world. Wyatt let his gaze trawl slowly over her; he always got this little tug in his stomach whenever he allowed himself to take her in, to simply admire her and acknowledge that she was soon to be his wife. He sighed a little and nodded, scooting his chair closer to hers and leaning forward, capturing her lips in a slow kiss. Hope made a small pleased noise and instinctively leaned in to meet him, cupping his face, freeing her hands from his to do so. Once they'd finished she leant her forehead against his for a moment, swiping her thumb intimately over his cheek, smiling. She sighed once they'd parted and glanced around,

"I don't know how humans are complacent with this. There's so many exciting things they could be doing instead."

Wyatt smiled a little as they rested their foreheads against the other's, making a soft humming noise in response. He chuckled a little and cracked an eye open, glancing about the place before returning his gaze to her.

"They've never experienced better. This is their life. But we get cooler ones," he snorted a little, before taking his drink in hand and holding it up to Hope. Hope raised an eyebrow at him, but scooped her drink up, anyway, raising it towards him,

"Are we toasting?" She asked, chuckling a little. She glanced over his shoulder at some guy who was unashamedly standing there staring at them in horror. She flared her nostrils and tilted her head at him questioningly. Werewolf.

What did he want?

"We are indeed," Wyatt grinned as they clinked their glasses. He took a long sip of his drink before following Hope's gaze over his shoulder and scowling when his eyes landed on the wolf. He knew something had smelled off in here. Fucking wolves. What did this one want? Hope sighed lightly upon spotting the fake white oak stake the poor bastard thought he was doing a good job of hiding, sticking out of his boot. He probably thought it was real. Hope quirked her eyebrows at the guy and gave him a look, shaking her head slowly to warn him not to come any closer. The guy obviously didn't get the hint and sidled over as if he was king of all he saw before him. Cocky twat.

Wyatt let his eyes roam the werewolf's figure, squinting at him critically. What, were they supposed to be scared? Wyatt arched his eyebrows in a silent challenge, bringing his glass to his lips and draining the rest of his alcohol without ever taking his eyes off of the wolf.

'I could end you with my eyes closed,' he pushed inside the man's head, smirking a little at the flash of confusion on the wolf's face.

Hope finished her drink shortly afterwards, and got up to walk back to the bar, moving swiftly past the wolf, as though he weren't even there. Hope gave the guy a disdainful look as he growled at her in passing, but paid him no mind, otherwise. He would be no problem. She commanded the attention of the barkeeper, and then brought the drinks back to their table, handing Wyatt a second glass of bourbon, taking a sip of her own drink, and then glanced up to the werewolf, who had finally decided to come over and address them, arching her eyebrows,

"You lost, pup?" She asked.

Wyatt glanced on after Hope, a small smirk on his face. He gratefully accepted the drink she brought back to the table with a sly smile and a wink, thanking her and kissing her cheek before taking a long sip of it. He slipped his arm around the back of her chair and spread his legs out in front of him, quirking his eyebrows up a little. He had a cocky smirk on his face now, posture entirely relaxed, though not at all non-threatening. He eyed the wolf and tilted his head to the side a little, making a vague all-encompassing gesture with the hand that'd been limply hung over the edge of Hope's chair.

"No," the wolf answered moodily, eyeing the couple with a wary sort of hatred.

"Well? State your intent," Wyatt announced rather obnoxiously, crossing his legs at the ankles now and more or less acting as if he were in the comfort of his own home, lounging on the sofa.

Hope watched with a vague sort of amusement as the wolf bristled and then straightened out his posture, holding his head up a little higher and shooting them both a lofty kind of smirk. Hope smiled calmly and took another sip from her drink; Wyatt completing the air of complete disinterest next to her, the couple combining to dominate the situation, without barely two sentences between them. She enjoyed it when they did this, it was all too easy. The wolf narrowed his eyes at them a little and when he spoke, his voice was a bit gruffer,

"I've come to kill you, abomination." He spoke to her. Hope quirked her eyebrows and made an 'oooooh' noise, cocking her head at him, "You think so?" She asked him a little patronisingly. The wolf flashed his wolf eyes at her and without hesitation she flashed her tribrid eyes right back at him. He took an uncertain step back and licked his lips a little nervously, then cleared his throat and tried to recall his cocky act, "Attractive for an abomination." He remarked cockily. Hope rolled her eyes and took a longer sip of her drink, finding she needed the alcohol to make the encounter bearable.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at the wolf and curled a possessive arm around Hope's shoulders, brushing his fingertips along her arm. He placed his drink down after taking a long sip, and tilted her head towards him with his fingertips, keeping his eyes on the wolf as he leaned in and kissed her, letting his eyes flutter shut for a moment as it deepened, before he withdrew from her once more and opened his eyes again, meeting the wolf's gaze with a steely glare.

"Attractive and spoken for," he commented testily, "and I think you'll find her temper is rather ugly, almost as ugly as mine, so you can leave now and save both your life and your dignity, or you can continue, and we'll make a quick job of disposing your body. Your choice, mongrel." Wyatt spat the word 'mongrel' as if it tasted vile on his tongue, like foul dirt pushing from his lips.

Hope pursed her lips and retrieved her little tote bag from the floor, reapplying her lipstick, smacking her lips lightly and putting the bag back down by the leg of her chair again. She allowed her smirk to develop as Wyatt spoke, and let out a laugh, grinning a little at the humour of the situation. She sighed breezily and finished her drink, leaning more into Wyatt, smiling maddeningly pleasantly at the wolf, which seemed to anger him further as he snarled at them, and flashed his eyes again, reaching for his "white oak stake" and baring his fangs. Hope sighed and exchanged an amused look with Wyatt,

"Well, baby, you did warn him." She commented, and then stood up to meet the wolf, eyeing him closely, not taking her eyes off his even as he raised the stake and brought it down. She caught the stake moments before it impacted her chest and clenched her jaw a little, and then jerked her wrist, breaking his own wrist without even having to touch him. She pouted at the wolf a little as he began to cry, and slipped the stake out of his now broken grip, handing it back to Wyatt.

Wyatt smirked a little, nodding in agreement as Hope stood up, watching intently as his fiancee went about her way with the werewolf. He grinned broadly when the wolf went to stake Hope, and she caught his wrist easily and jerked it, a sadistic, husky chuckle escaping his lips as he heard the sickening snap of bone and the crack of ripping muscles. He sipped his drink indulgently as he watched, making an amused huffing sound as the werewolf fell down to the floor with a tearful noise. Wyatt sighed and caught the stake in his free hand, snatching it out of the air with ease, before necking back the rest of his drink. The pace at which he'd knocked back two strong drinks had him a little buzzed, and he grinned as the warmth of it simmered under his skin faintly. He'd need a lot more to be drunk, but this was fine for now. Wyatt twirled the stake in his fingers and winked at Hope, before crouching down at the wolf's side and sighing, tilting his head and letting his eyes trail the length of the wolf's body.

"Now," he began darkly, silently compelling everyone in the bar to be oblivious, "what do we do with you?"

Hope placed a hand absentmindedly on Wyatt's head, stroking back his hair a little as she glanced about the bar, impressed with her fiance's efficiency. Her eyes finally landed on the bar, and she sidled over, raking a hand through her hair, she made her way round to the other side of the bar, ignoring the protests of the other patrons, and grabbed a few bottles of what they'd been drinking, she licked her lips as she stood back up and stepped forward to look at each person in turn, grabbing their attention for the mass compulsion, and then ordered them to carry on as usual, ignoring the absence of the bottles she had procured. Hope raised the bottles towards Wyatt for his inspection once she returned and grinned at his approval, kissing his cheek. She glanced back down to the wailing werewolf in annoyance,

"Shut up before we remove your tongue. The trash they're playing in here is bad enough without you wailing on top of it." She snapped and gestured towards him generally, using her powers to bring him back up onto his feet. She raised her eyebrows to Wyatt, grabbing her clutch bag, "Shall we?" She asked, nodding her head towards the exit.

Wyatt chuckled a little and tilted his head into the press of Hope's lips, humming softly as he took one of the bottles from her and took a quick swig before handing it back. He smirked and nodded as she gestured towards the exit, getting to his feet and standing at his full height. He grabbed the werewolf by its arms and dragged it along, making sure to jostle his broken wrist that wasn't doing a very good job of healing itself considering the severity of the twist Hope had impacted upon it, and the fact that it'd been left in an awkward position. Wyatt grinned a little at the sharp hisses the wolf made as he and Hope left the bar and headed into a deserted alleyway. He threw the wolf up against the wall and immediately threw his fist into his face, a disgusting sounding crack bouncing between the cold, dark walls of the damp alley. Wyatt sighed heavily, a relieved sounding exhale, and shook out his arms, a manic smile on his face.

"Felt good to get that out of my system, mate," he smirked, arching his eyebrows as he leaned back a little, rocking on his heels, before straightening up again, watching as the wolf whimpered sharply, holding his jaw with his one good hand.

Hope cooed at him patronisingly and then retrieved something from her little purse, crushing it up. She suddenly smacked the werewolf full force across the face, he screamed and howled as his skin started to sear, the wolfsbane she'd been holding in her palm severely affecting him. She sighed happily and then grabbed the wolf by his broken wrist and Wyatt by his hand, and sped them all back to the Mikaelson mansion. She was enjoying this. She could see how Wyatt and Klaus could get a kick out of it, it was an electrifying feeling. She hummed a little in contemplation and leaned into Wyatt's side, tucking her hand into the back pocket of his jeans, resting her head on his shoulder,

"How do we continue from here?" She asked him, her eyes fixated on the werewolf that was rolling around and crying out on the ground, his hands to his face, trying to stop the burning, searing sensation the wolfsbane had caused.

Wyatt let out a sharp sort of laugh as Hope whisked him and the werewolf back to the manor. When they arrived and Hope settled in against his side, he leaned down to press his lips to hers, kissing her deeply for a moment, a certain heat to his kiss from the adrenaline of it all. He pulled away and grabbed the bottle, taking a long swig of the alcohol and handing it to Hope for her to take a drink.

"We should take him to the cellar," he decided, dragging the wolf up by the collar of his bloodied shirt. "Don't want his organs staining the carpets," he cackled slightly, before flashing down into the cellar and throwing the wolf into the far wall. He leaned back against a pillar and glanced up as Hope joined them, smirking.

"Would you like to take the first hit, or shall I get us started?" He asked her, eyebrow arched.

Hope raised her eyes to look at him as he asked his question, drawing her attention away from the various werewolf specific torture implements her father had generously left lying about in one of the rooms, and grinned at him a little, shrugging and offering him the chance to choose his weapon of choice, after he'd done so, Hope kicked off her shoes and answered him,

"I'll take the first hit, if you don't mind, handsome." She murmured to him, and then gripped the handle of the wolfsbane laced baseball bat, making sure her hands strayed no further than the safety area which was the leather covered handle, as this could hurt her, too, if she wasn't careful. She began to circle the wolf slowly, allowing the bat to bounce off the floor occasionally as she walked, holding it in her right hand, swinging loosely by her side. The wolf whimpered and finally managed to get up on his knees. Hope gave him a toothy grin, flashing her tribrid eyes at him, and then secured her other hand on the bat and readied up as if preparing to strike a home run, and she did, she swung with impressive force and speed, and the bat impacted with his head with a devastating crack, that seemed to echo around the basement, and the wolf spun and dropped, one side of his head a little caved in.

Wyatt took hold of a wolfsbane infused morning star, swinging the spiked ball at the end of the chain in a few idle circles, deciding he was satisfied with both the weight of it and the sharpness of its spikes. He pursed his lips a little with an amused looking smirk on his face, gesturing openly towards the werewolf as Hope murmured to him, lips pulling up into a sadistically amused smirk as he watched her circle the injured werewolf.

"By all means," he mumbled darkly, pupils dilated considerably as he took in the action. He licked his lips and bit down on his bottom lip, quirking his eyebrows up a little as he observed the werewolf getting onto his knees. Wyatt glanced at Hope, awaiting her move, and grinned widely when she cracked the bat against the werewolf's skull, caving in one side of it. There was a twisted coil of satisfied amusement at the spill of blood from the werewolf's mouth. "Nice, baby," he commented under his breath.

Hope leaned over the wolf to inspect the damage, taking her time to take in the chaos, and then moved back over to Wyatt, taking a swig from the bottle of bourbon, making a satisfied 'ahh' sound once she had done so, and dropped the bat on the floor, the clattering sound barely registering with her as she moved up on her tiptoes, her hair swishing along her back with the movement, and kissed him, she hummed and deepened it, finding the adrenaline and electricity running through her made the kiss all the more enjoyable. Once she was finished, she cupped his cheeks and peered up into his eyes with a little grin,

"Your turn." She murmured, "Impress me, as you always do."

Wyatt groaned softly into the kiss and gripped Hope's hips, pulling her closer against him. He tilted his head into it and grazed his teeth softly over her bottom lip, huffing when she pulled away from him. Her little grin and the spark of deviance in her eyes had Wyatt's chest fluttering oddly, and he smirked a little and nodded his head in compliance. He moved over towards the werewolf and clutched the wooden handle of his weapon firmly in hand, before beginning to swing it. He extended his arm, achieving full circular swings with an impressive speed and handling, waiting until the werewolf pushed up a little before taking his swing, going underarm and ripping the spiked ball across the wolf's stomach, half-gutting him, the spikes lodging in and tugging the werewolf up and dropping him onto his back, bits of flesh coming away with the ball. Wyatt licked his lips with a psychotic grin, eyeing the mess he'd made. It was amusing, how little it'd taken to break this mutt down.

Hope took another swig from the bottle of bourbon and then set it down on the floor next to her baseball bat, and leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and crossing her legs at the ankles. She hummed lightly and cocked her head, her eyes fixated on Wyatt, taking in his every movement eagerly. He was incredibly beautiful when he was in his element like this, she couldn't get enough of it. A thought occurred to her suddenly and she disappeared briefly, returning with a speaker system. She set it up within seconds and then the Royal Blood album was blaring through the basement, the echoing effect the basement had caused Hope to groan at how good it sounded. She returned to her previous position by the wall and watched Wyatt, grinning at him as he moved back over to her and immediately kissed her. She moaned lightly and pressed their chests together, humming and licking her lips once they'd parted again. She retrieved her baseball bat and wandered back over to the werewolf, using her bat to move his head about and taking her time to decide what she wanted to do. She finally decided and readied herself, lining the bat up with his face again, although her aim would be more direct and devastating this time. She bumped the bat lightly against the side of his jaw, and then took the proper strike. She struck him so hard that from his lower lip to his jaw was struck clean off, and he fell to the floor again, screaming and writhing. Hope gasped and watched in delighted wonder at the effect.


End file.
